


Second Chances

by Bennie133



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, M/M, rated M for future chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-04-30 08:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14492697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bennie133/pseuds/Bennie133
Summary: Squaring his shoulders, Hashirama looked between the two boys. It seemed they had no memories of their adult selves. Whatever that scroll had been, it messed things up quite nicely. He needed Mito to look over it most likely, she was usually one of the few people who could decode Tobirama's words and notes, and figure out what went wrong. “Hey, guys...” He said weakly, before sighing. “I guess we need to play a game of catch up?”





	1. Accidental Uses

Staring at the now empty space right in front of him, Hashirama let his eyes scan the rest of the room. Down on the floor laid two children, drowning in clothes much too big for them, puddling all around them and on top of them. Cautiously getting closer to the bundles, he squatted down next to them, eyes transfixed with horrified awe. When they began to rustle about, he took a deep breath, unsure exactly what the situation was going to be like.

The first set of eyes to land upon him were red curious eyes, staring at him in confusion. “Anija? How did you get so big?” Tobirama immediately questioned, before looking at the clothes falling off of his shoulders. “What's going on?” He inquired, fingers grabbing onto the too large clothes, staring at them. Then he glanced over at the boy sitting up next to him. “Uchiha!” He hissed, standing up as quick as he could, nearly tripping over his own garments.

“Senju!” Madara cried, scuttling backward, getting tangled up in his clothes and falling back down to the floor. His Sharingan activated, eyes spinning madly as he kept his gaze on the Senju before his gaze caught the form of a man shaking with silent laughter. “Hashi...rama?” He asked with confusion. That was no genjutsu... Why did his friend suddenly seem to be a grown man?

Squaring his shoulders, Hashirama looked between the two boys. It seemed they had no memories of their adult selves. Whatever that scroll had been, it messed things up quite nicely. He needed Mito to look over it most likely, she was usually one of the few people who could decode Tobirama's words and notes, and figure out what went wrong. “Hey, guys...” He said weakly, before sighing. “I guess we need to play a game of catch up?”

Little Tobirama glared at his brother, “Anija, what's going on? Why on Earth are you like that?” He demanded, occasionally glancing over at Madara. Hashirama was making no move to even attack the Uchiha, because even if they had been friends, they were at war right now, weren't they? So something must have happened. Did a future version of himself send Hashirama back through time somehow? Did something happen in their future? And where was this strange room? He recognized it was a room of science and something he would have loved to explore, but he was too busy analyzing the situation at hand right now to get to really look around. Maybe they were the ones who traveled, brought to the future? While they didn't have the science for that yet, maybe they did in the future?

Madara crossed his arms, keeping his Sharingan active so nothing could get passed him. He would not be deceived easily by whatever was going on. “Well, Senju? What is happening?” He demanded, occasionally looking over to the younger Senju, knowing he was the devious one of them both, more likely to pull some sort of trick from out of his sleeves. He knew Izuna was strong, and it even matched between them, so he could not underestimate the little Senju, even if he was stronger than him.

Slowly, Hashirama scratched the back of his neck. “I'm not positive.” He answered honestly. “You... don't remember anything? About the current times? Or how you became like this?” He asked them, just to make sure. He needed to be able to tell Mito as much as he possibly could.

Tobirama frowned, “No. Where are we?” He questioned, looking down at his garments again. “These... are these our clothes?” There was a giant thing of fur surrounding his neck, which felt heavenly, but everything else was threatening to fall off. Obviously, this was a man's shirt, but it was like wearing a dress!

Nodding, Hashirama frowned, “Yes, those are the clothes you both wear nowadays... How old are you right now? Looking at you Tobi, I'd have to say around ten, right? Madara, that would make you almost fourteen?”

“Nine. I guess?” Tobirama answered, cocking his head to the side. “How... old am I supposed to be?”

Madara narrowed his eyes, intent on listening. Nothing felt like it made sense, and not knowing how they got like this deeply troubled him. How old were they supposed to be? “Well?”

“Well, Tobirama you were close to twenty-two, and Madara, you were almost twenty-six. Your birthday is in about a month.” Hashirama explained, before settling down onto the floor cross-legged. “You two might as well sit down. We have a lot to go over before we even leave this room. Come on, I'll tell you what I can.”

Glancing at each other heatedly, the boys obeyed and say down in front of Hashirama, though they made sure to keep space between them. Hashirama kept his sigh internal. This was going to be a long night. And how to tell Mito? Shove the two children in front of her? And to let the clans know... Oh, dread.

 

 

 

Madara couldn't help but feel amazement course through him. “We have our village? Truly?” He asked in disbelief. Sure, it seemed to have taken years for them to get there, but they really made it? Senju's and Uchiha's were living peacefully together? He tried hard to not let the emotions overtake him, but tears came to his eyes anyways. “I'm so overwhelmed.” He breathed out, hand clutching his chest.

Hashirama beamed at the both of them, “I understand how you feel.” He murmured.

Tobirama kept his face neutral, letting the information set in. After a moment, he frowned. “You've not mentioned something.” He pointed out. “Like the fact your married. And whatever you might know about our predicament. Surely, you saw it happen, yes? Since you were in here when we awoke? Or did you find us like this?”

Hashirama chuckled awkwardly, “Yes, Mito from the Uzumaki clan. She's amazing, you loved her very much. She also has your love for knowledge and fuinjutsu. Honestly... I'm going to have her look at your notes. This is from one of the jutsu you've been working on, I'm sure. I saw the scroll roll over there.” He pointed, “So I'll collect that before we leave.”

Tobirama frowned, “I... believe we should find clothes that fit us before we go to your home. There's no way we can do much without losing our footing.” He pointed out. He watched as Madara sat up straighter, frowning. “Or did neither of you think of that yet?”

Madara glared at him, “Just because I hadn't said it out loud does not mean I had not thought of it!” He snapped, glaring off at one of the walls.

Hashirama let himself ponder over that a moment, “I would normally agree with you, but none of the shops would be open right now. The sun was already setting when I came here to fetch you both, so surely it's late night by now.” He answered calmly. “I think we still have some of your old clothes Tobirama... As for you, Madara, we should go ask Izuna. And let him know whats happening so he can inform the other clans' members for you. I don't think in your state right now you'll be able to accomplish any of your duties as clan head, so Izuna will have to temporarily take over.”

Madara nodded his head, “I'd have no clue whats going on right now, I'd be of no help. I'd most likely just get in the way.” He concluded a bit somberly. Would his clan be accepting of this strange situation? Who could he even talk to that would understand? The only other person going through the same situation would be... _Tobirama._ Eyeing the other boy, he stiffened when he noticed red eyes gazing at him as if studying him! “What?” He growled.

Tobirama stuck his head the other way to pointedly ignore him, “As if you weren't always in the way.” He whispered to himself, before shaking his head a little. “Let's go then, anija. I want something that fits.” He said, standing up, carefully, rolling the pant legs up so they at least didn't go past his ankles. His hips barely held onto the cloth, so he'd have to hold on pretty tightly as they went.

Madara and Hashirama stood up as well. Madara left his pants as they were, bundled on top of his feet, though the shoes nearly falling off with each step was troublesome. “Well, I'll point out buildings as we walk through the compounds and streets!” Hashirama said cheerfully, trying to alleviate the tension that had settled over the room, grabbing the stray scroll.

 

 

 

“He's so young,” Izuna commented, poking and pulling in his brother's cheeks, grinning when his aniki glared at him. “He used to be so cute~!” He teased, laughing. “Oh kami, can we keep them like this forever?” He said, pulling Madara into a hug, making the teen splutter. After a moment he let go and pulled Tobirama into a hug as well, “And you! I cannot handle this! My friend, a child again!” He guffawed, swaying with Tobirama in his arms, who felt very traumatized at a Uchiha touching him like this.

“Let me go, you Uchiha!” He griped, pushing away to no avail, Izuna was stronger than him now! He would have to despair over this later in private when he had time to himself away from everyone. And friend? Since when were they ever friends? Did so much truly change?

Laughing, Izuna let go. “Back to that are we? Don't worry, Tobirama! I'll get you to befriend me again if I have to.” He said with a wink, laughing when Tobirama stiffened and backed away.

With a chuckle, Hashirama shook his head, “Sadly, I think we both know we have to get them back to normal.” He said with clear amusement, “But you're right! Aren't they so cute?!” He said, gushing to Izuna.

Madara and Tobirama watched in horror as the men went on a rant together about how cute their brothers were, and just wait till they could take them all over Konoha properly when they had clothes! And how they could meet everyone all over again, how exciting! Tobirama looked at Madara and the other two, frowning. He wished he knew where his home was so he could get away from his brother's antics, and hideaway. He was curious, but that didn't mean he wanted to re-meet people who seemed to have aged so much, even if was himself who was apparently now much younger!

After awhile Izuna grew more somber, lips pressed thinly together. “This certainly puts a change to things. If the whole village were to find out, and somehow this information leaked... Our village could be in danger. While you and I are strong, so were they. They're both important to the safety of everyone here, we can't let people know that they're no longer as they were. It could cause havoc inside and outside of the village.” He said, a thumb pressed against his lips in thought. “Of course Madara can stay in my home, and I assume you'll be taking in Tobirama for now, but they shouldn't be walking about the village without some sort of disguise or something,” Izuna mumbled.

Sighing, Hashirama nodded, “I know, but that's going to be a big hassle depending on how long it takes Mito to figure things out and reverse it... if she even can.” He murmured, looking at the kids again. “We have to think of the different scenarios we may be facing. Since we've no idea how long they're going to be stuck like this... we might have to find a way to introduce them as new children to the village. We can't keep them in hiding, that's unfair to them.” He added on.

Izuna stared at the two boys, “I think I might have some of Madara's old clothes still since I got some of it as hand me downs, I'll have to go check. But I'll go with you as Mito looks them over and the notes. It might be best to stay together tonight in case of any strange side effects from the scroll, until we know they're at least stable. Then if Mito gives an all-clear tomorrow morning, then we can figure out what to do about them during the day.” He responded, hand resting on his hip. “Well, I'll be right back. I'll go check out my storage room upstairs.” He said, ruffling his brother's hair before walking away from the group.

Staring at the floor, Tobirama crossed his arms, “Anija... if, if we're stuck like this... Surely there must be something we can still do at the moment. I'm not going to just wait around and twiddle my thumbs!” He declared, stepping next to his brother. “No one knows my mind better than I do, so surely I can help your wife with figuring out the notes, or some work I can do. If I have to do nothing, I'll go mad.” He stated.

Hashirama smiled at him, “Don't worry, I'm sure even if you can't make sense of your writing now, there's plenty of books you can study again that you loved. You too, Madara. We've so much more new information than we used to have, you should make use of it as well. You guys could study together, even! Since you're both stuck, for now, you might as well spend some more time together! Maybe you'll finally get along!” He hummed happily. These two always fought like cats and dogs since the village was founded, and a moment where they both agreed on something was rare, even if mainly they disagreed out of spite.

Both children looked at the other before frowning, not even bothering to reply to such nonsense dribble that Hashirama was sputtering out now. As if they could even get along when it's clear they couldn't even do it as adults.

When Izuna returned to the living room, he chuckled at the sight of the two boys fighting, with Hashirama practically drooping off to the side with a bout of his depression. With a smirk, he launched the clothes at Madara, hitting him in the head. “Hey, knock it off you two. This isn't a time for arguments.” He pointed out.

Tobirama smirked at the spluttering Madara, before turning to his brother. “You mentioned that I had students. What will we tell them?” He inquired.

Cutting in and answering, Izuna tapped Tobirama's forehead, “We'll tell them you and Madara had to leave on a mission and that you'll be gone for an undetermined time.” He answered with a small shrug.

Madara made a face, scrunching his brows, “Is that even believable? That we go on missions together?” He asked, holding the clothes to his chest.

Tapping his finger on his chin, Izuna nodded, “I mean, you've done it before, we just don't send you out together often. Usually, I accompany Tobirama on the long-term outings, but sometimes missions just don't line up the way we'd like them to.” He responded.

Huffing, Madara gave a small nod. “Okay. I'm going to go change.” He said, walking off in search of a room to borrow for the moment.

Clapping a hand on Izuna's back, Hashirama watched as Madara left the room, “I swear he's still as shy as ever.” He joked, before looking more serious once more, lowering his voice so his brother couldn't hear, “If this does somehow become known outside the village, we may need to find a safe place to send them. While it's true the village may become attacked, they both have high rewards, and surely they'll be the first to be targeted by other nin or even missing-nin.” He whispered.

“I know.”

 

 

 

Disbelief coursed through Mito as she stared at the two boys, her eyes constantly switching between the two of them. “Show me the scroll.” She murmured to Hashirama, gracefully taking it from his hands and unrolling it, eyes darting back and forth over the contents. “Oh, my.” She said after several moments of silence, looking to the two children.

“What is it?” Izuna and Hashirama inquired at the same time, earning a raised brow from Mito.

“I see why Tobirama was working on this, it could be very useful.” She acknowledged. “If some of the more dangerous nin were taken back to an age where they were either no longer dangerous or missing-nin before they deserted, we could use it to give them another chance. Still, this is high-level work, as per usual, and it may take me some time to be able to reverse it. The seals he used look very stable, I can't see where anything could go awry, except for the apparent accidental use.” She commented. Lowering her eyes to the two boys, she gave them a soft smile. “Don't worry, I'll work very hard to set things right.”

Tobirama and Madara gave a small nod. “I know as it is right now I'm not familiar with the seals on there, but is there anything I may help you with?” Tobirama asked.

Mito gently pet his hair, “If there is something I believe only you may decipher from your own notes, I shall retrieve you. Otherwise, it might slow me down. The faster we figure this out, the better. For everyone.” She acquiesced. When he leaned away from her touch, she hid a smile behind her sleeve. “Ah, apologies. I'm not used to being a stranger to you.”

“I suppose it's alright.” Tobirama replied carefully, “Anija said I was fond of you, after all. I just need some time to adjust.”

Tsking, Hashirama waggled a finger at him, “I said, love! Loved and fond are not the same thing.” He said with a grin.

Narrowing his eyes, Tobirama crossed his arms, “Fond is a perfectly acceptable word for someone you care about.” He rebutted.

Izuna cackled, “This is great, you know?” He said to Mito, grinning. “Little Tobes is just as much as a spitfire as he is as an adult, you just gotta know him well enough to tell what his signs of it are.”

“Don't call me that, I detest it.” Tobirama rebuked. “It's horrid.”

“Oh, do you not like nicknames, little Senju?” Madara asked with a smirk. “I'll keep that in mind.”

Mito sighed, “Don't even start in this house, boys.” She reprimanded, stepping between the two of them. “Hashirama, are they staying with us tonight, as well as Izuna?” She inquired.

With a nod, Hashirama answered, “Yes, I thought it might be best in case something were to happen until we are sure nothing else will happen for the time being. Between our analyzing with medical jutsu and fuinjutsu knowledge, we could make sure they don't come to harm from any side effects.”

“Yes, that is most likely wise. I don't think the scroll is meant to wear off anytime soon. We don't even know if they'll keep the memories of being young children again. Until I know for certain how this works, and what I can use to reverse it, we'll have to keep a close eye on their health. As far as I know, nothing like this has ever happened before.” Mito hummed. “It's getting late. Love, why don't you go fetch the guest futons and set them up, and these three can help me prepare some tea and a late night snack.”

Giving a kiss to Mito's cheek, Hashirama bounded off. “Yes, koibito!” He chirped.

Tobirama gave a look of disgust but refrained from commenting. Kissing girls was gross.

Izuna slung his arms around the shoulders, drawing both boys close to him, “Slumber party!” He chuckled, receiving a sigh from Mito as the boys fought to get away from the man. “Aw come on guys!”

 


	2. Rekindling Lost Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Pretty please?” Izuna asked, giving Tobirama puppy eyes, hands clasped together. “I know you don't remember, but we were really close. And we were supposed to spend time together today anyway, you know!” He tried to persuade.

“Pretty please?” Izuna asked, giving Tobirama puppy eyes, hands clasped together. “I know you don't remember, but we were really close. And we were supposed to spend time together today anyway, you know!” He tried to persuade.

Cracking his eyes open, Tobirama looked up at the Uchiha hovering above him. All he wanted was to relax by this stream he had found not too far from the Village, away from everyone. “Doing what?” He prompted grumpily. It had been a strange week, adjusting to a life in a village, and trying not to be on edge because he could sense all of the Uchiha's and other new peoples chakras. Every morning he'd wake up with a sense of horrible unease, and going to bed hadn't been easy either. It was almost more stressful than the war, suddenly being tossed into this peaceful village when the last he remembered was constant bloodshed.

With a grin, Izuna plopped down onto the ground beside him, letting his fingers dance lightly on top of the water. “Mm, you wouldn't know this anymore, but Madara and I switched eyes. I almost went blind because it didn't go smoothly on my end. You recognized that I had the ability for sensing, though nowhere near as good as yours, because quite frankly your range is terrifying. You've been teaching me how to use it and to apply it. Which, we don't have to do that since I know you don't trust me very much right now. But, I said I'd befriend you again, and it's going to happen, you silly stubborn Senju!” H ribbed, poking Tobirama's shoulder. “So? Pleeeaase?” He pleaded.

Pressing his lips together, Tobirama frowned up at the man above him. “Fine, just for the day. Then you'll leave me alone, right?” He inquired, pushing the hand away from himself. “You're so touchy. It's like being around anija.”

Smirking, Izuna shrugged, “I'd like to say I got away with hugs better than he did 'cause I did it before I annoy you. Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'm sure the sudden change feels weird, right? Aniki's been on edge lately too, so I'm sure you are.” He murmured. “Let's do something fun today to take your mind off of it!”

Glancing over to the Uchiha, Tobirama sat up, brows furrowed. It sounded like they had gotten awfully close if he had let him hug him. He barely let Hashirama do it half of the time. “What did you consider yourself to me when I was an adult as well?” He asked, more than curious. Despite always going toe to toe with Izuna, he was certainly a chatterbox with him now, and it wasn't like he usually said completely irrelevant things, which he could appreciate. But the two images his mind was making of him were so conflicting, and he couldn't seem to find a middle ground. His chakra felt the same as it always has, though certainly more of it now with his training. Izuna the enemy would never chatter endlessly like this, and he was always cautious and observing. It was what made him a good rival during the war because the more evenly they were matched up on both sides, there was less blood to be shed. But this grown Izuna, a supposed friend, was just so outgoing and happy, and it was strange to see him in such light.

“What did I consider myself? Hmm, well, I'd say I considered myself one of your important people. I won't claim to be your best friend or anything like that, because I don't think you've ever thought along those lines with anyone. You just have people you love. But we were very close, and we shared a lot of things. But you were also very close to Mito, and a few of the other villagers who moved in here. I did consider you my best friend though, which I thought was funny since it was us who technically broke apart our brothers, you know? Pretty ironic.” He said, giving a sad smile to the boy beside him.

Turning to face him better, Tobirama looked him up and down, tilting his head a little. “Do you feel like you've lost your best friend? And your brother?” He inquired. He could feel the slight pain radiating off of his chakra, it had been there despite the cheeriness he had shown after the confusion of seeing two young boys instead of grown men. It had never left, though it hadn't been a strong sensation, either. It was subtle and easy to miss if he didn't look.

Caught off guard, Izuna chuckled nervously. “Yes and no? Hmm, how do I say this?” He said out loud, hand going to his chin and stroking it. “It's still the both of you at the core of it all, but it's weird cause there are things you've both matured, and all of a sudden it's gone. You're... well, you've never been the most open and straightforward person, because you say what you mean but you always try to hide it with those clever words of yours. Sometimes you say things that sound insulting, but you don't realize it's really a compliment until later, and it's the same thing the other way.” Izuna said, splashing the water just a bit. “It took me a long time before I saw you being playful and to realize it for what it was. That was when we started getting close.”

Raising a brow, Tobirama hummed, “What happened?”

“You shot me in the face with water cause I said it was hot outside,” Izuna replied easily. “I thought you were being an a-, rude, at that point.”

Scoffing, Tobirama felt his lips twitch up into a smile, “I'm not a little kid, you can just say ass. However; that does sound like something I might do.” He admitted. Done with all the questions, he looked at the stream. “I am starting to feel a bit peckish. We could fish together since you're so insistent on spending the day together.”

“Sure!” Izuna chirped.

 

 

 

“No, slow down, you want to scare it the other way.” Tobirama murmured, eyes tracking the movement in the water. They had already caught several fish, but it seemed like fishing in the river was something Izuna was not very good at. He would move too fast, or too slow at the crucial moments, making the fish dart away in another direction where neither of them could reach in time without scaring any other nearby fish away from.

“Why are we in the stream when we could just use some wire and bait?” Izuna whined. “Honestly, it's so much easier.” He complained.

Tobirama raised a brow, “This is more enjoyable. Besides, as a shinobi, I'd think this would come easier to you.” He ribbed, rolling his eyes. “Think of it as practice for a moment when you might not have any tools.” Watching Izuna slowly wade forward in the water, Tobirama waited for the fish to swim close to him. When the moment was right he struck his arm down into the water, grabbing the fish. Quickly, he slid his other hand into its mouth, grabbing the side so he couldn't get bit by the small sharp teeth. “There. That's six total, three should be well enough for each of us.” He stated.

With a happy sigh, Izuna swished his way to the back, stepping on to dry land, spreading his toes into the dirt and grabbing the grass. “Finally!” He chuckled, waiting for Tobirama before making their way to the small fire pit they'd set up with branches, grabbing the sharp sticks they had found and pierced the other fish onto. “I think it's turned more into supper than a late lunch.” He observed, looking up at the sky to see where the sun was positioned. “Want me to start the fire the fun way?” He asked with an excited grin.

“...If you can manage to not incinerate the branches.” Tobirama muttered, grabbing one of the sticks and sticking the other fish onto it.

“Rude.” He retorted, making a quick hand sign, a very small Katon coming from his lips, lighting the branches on fire. With a pleased look, he faced Tobirama only to see his shoulders shaking lightly. “What?” He demanded.

Hiding his face behind a hand, Tobirama looked to Izuna, “That was the smallest Katon I've ever seen in my life.” He answered, voice cracking just the slightest. Clearing his throat, he shook his head ever so slightly. “I just wasn't expecting that after always seeing them as enormous breaths of fire.” He explained.

Izuna stared at him a moment before chortling, “I can make it even smaller.” He said with a smirk, “We light our candles like that half the time since it doesn't take very much chakra.” He tilted his head, “You do that with your water techniques too, you know.”

Shrugging, Tobirama settled near the fire, setting his stick up so it would be over the heat without actually catching on fire or scorching. “True, however; I've to my knowledge never seen it for daily use. It's just unexpected, that's all.” He said with a slight smile.

Izuna flopped down beside him, bumping his shoulder, “Careful, you're smiling around me again.” He teased, ruffling Tobirama's hair, earning a half-hearted glare.

“Apologies, I'll desist right away.” He grumbled, leaning away. After a moment he looked out the corner of his eyes only to see Izuna giving a small sad smile. “Izuna?”

Izuna scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “Like I said, it's still you.” He quickly smiled, “That's the first time you've said my name like this though. Is it weird that makes me happy?” He asked.

Tobirama stared at the fire, brushing some of the embers at the bottom around to spread the heat evenly, “I suppose not.” He answered eventually. Gazing at Izuna through the corner of his eyes, he slowly faced him again, “I guess being your friend won't be so horrendous.” He acquiesced, “But don't get sappy about it!” He rushed out, dropping the stick to the ground for now, crossing his arms and facing away.

“Aw, Tobi!” Izuna chirped, attacking him from behind with a big hug. Getting his arm smacked wasn't such a big deal, but the random water release over them was not so pleasant. “Tobi!” He whined once the water stopped dropping onto his head, “Come on!”

“Annoying Uchiha.” Tobirama groused, before turning and grinning at him. “Best be careful before you try to fight a storm.” He said, smirking smugly.

“Oh, you!” Izuna grumbled, tackling him to the ground. He might not have been as fast as Tobirama when they were younger, but now he was most likely faster than him by a good bit. “You're gonna eat dirt, kid!” He cackled, instigating a fight.

“As if!” Tobirama grunted, pushing at Izuna to get him off. If he could just get back to the stream, then he could stand his ground a bit longer. Using a substitution jutsu, he replaced himself with the branches from the fire that had gotten put out, then quickly ran towards the stream, chakra on his feet already by the time he hit the water.

Izuna quickly let go of the branches, whipping his head around, “If you can last ten minutes, you win, if not, I win!” He called, running after the child.

“You should be prepared to lose then, Izuna!” Tobirama responded, hands already forming seals at a rapid rate.

“You're so on!” He laughed, moving onto the water himself. He may have fire chakra, but he knew how to use water to his advantage now too.

 

 

 

Panting for breath, Tobirama simply floated on the water. “How long?” He finally rasped, lungs aching for precious oxygen. He was utterly exhausted, fighting against Izuna now was as if he had attempted to go up against Madara instead of anija based on chakra reserves, though he couldn't be as positive about actual technique.

“Eleven minutes and thirty-three seconds,” Izuna grunted, floating right next to Tobirama, slightly out of breath himself. “Kami, you still move fast even now. I forgot you were already this good at your current age, it's been so long.” He said, chuckling a bit before simply taking in more air. “I almost had to pull out my Sharingan, but it was nice sparring without that, too. I don't want to rely on it always.” He mused.

“That's why your clan had so many weaknesses, you always relied on it during battles. That's why I pushed my speed so much.” Tobirama explained tiredly. “Even if you could see, it didn't mean anything if you couldn't move.” He huffed. “Still, you were pretty fast too, when you were younger. You're faster now, I can tell the few blows we traded.” He complimented.

“Awh, thanks.” Izuna said, before reaching out, flicking some water onto Tobirama's face, “You look exhausted. We should get you back to your brothers.” He hummed.

Tobirama rolled his eyes, “I'd rather stay at my own place. Anija doesn't like the idea, but he's suffocating right now.” He closed his eyes a bit, enjoying the feeling of the water simply holding him. “I used to wish I had a bit more of his attention, but I was never wanting this much of it.” He spoke quietly.

Glancing over, Izuna shrugged, “I mean, he dotes on you, but he has been pretty hectic even for himself this past week. He's just worried about you two.” He answered. “So don't get too upset with him.”

“I'm not upset. I just need some space to myself now and then.” Tobirama commented, cracking his eyes back open. “If I'm stuck like this for a long time, will you spare with me? I have to become strong, especially if I was beforehand and you've suddenly lost that.”

Reaching over to ruffle his hair again, Izuna smiled, “Of course I will. Still, don't worry about it too much. Mito will figure it out, okay?”

“Alright,” Tobirama answered shortly, staring up at the sky. The sun was starting to set, and soon the stars would be out. He might just stay up tonight simply to gaze upon them for a little while. Sometimes, the nature around here was what felt the most real, other than a few members of his family and their chakras reminding him this had really happened.

“Eh, maybe someone made supper back home in the village, too. The fish was only half cooked.” He said, chuckling.

Tobirama frowned, “I really wanted that fish.” He said with a disappointed look.

“We'll catch more tomorrow or something, promise,” Izuna assured him. He slowly leaned forward, allowing his feet to hit the bottom of the stream. “Let's walk, it'll give our clothes some time to dry off.” He suggested.

Sitting up, Tobirama shrugged, “It's nice out despite being so late in the year, we might as well.” He replied, walking out onto dry land. He made sure the fire and any embers had been put out completely, before taking the sticks with the fish and tossing them into the woods so it would be easier for ravagers to get them without getting any of it near the water system. “Ready?”

“Yep!” Izuna chirped, walking alongside Tobirama as they trekked their way back to the village.

 

 

 

Bellies full and with dry clean clothes on, Tobirama relaxed into a sofa in the main room. “Well, no one else is here right now, but at least the pantry was well stocked!” Izuna said, settling happily into the cushions.

“Yes. Though I'm glad I stole the seasonings away from you before you ruined dinner.” Tobirama mused, glancing over at his companion.

“You're so mean to me, Tobi,” Izuna whined. “Honestly, the meanest.” He said with a slight smirk.

Both looking up from the couch when the door to the house swung open, they watched as Hashirama and Madara walked into the room, “Oh, there you two are! We went looking and couldn't find you, so we went to dinner without you guys... Have you eaten yet?” Hashirama asked, beaming at them.

“Yes, no need to worry about that,” Tobirama answered, side-eyeing Madara with a frown, receiving a glare right back from the Uchiha.

“Oh, good!” Hashirama looked on oblivious as ever, the smile never leaving his face. “Mito should be coming back soon, why don't we make tea and play some games tonight?” He asked eagerly.

Tobirama hummed, “Shogi?” Madara frowned. He liked the game shogi, but he didn't want to second the opinion since it came from Tobirama.

“Oh, maybe we have a chance of winning against Tobi right now, Hash.” Izuna chuckled, “Since he always beats us when we do get around to a game of it.”

“True, but you know, Madara was always the closest to beating him, maybe we should play first and then let them play so we don't still get annihilated.” Hashirama laughed.

Izuna made a face, “You're right, that would be humiliating.”

“I lost against that brat?” Madara asked, nose up in the air. “I don't think he'd stand a chance against me.” He argued, arms crossed.

Tobirama narrowed his eyes at the boy, “Would you be willing to perhaps prove yourself wrong?”

 

 

 

Walking into her home, Mito hadn't expected to see what she could call a “peaceful evening” from the men and boys in front of her, all surrounding a small table on the floor. She watched as Madara and Tobirama sat across from each other, their brothers to the side, staring at the board with confused faces as the boys slowly moved their pieces, taking in each other's strategies. All she knew at this moment was that the silence would not last. It never did when that board game was pulled out from the closet. Usually, her dear husband and Izuna would be whining in defeat, and occasionally Madara would have won against Tobirama, but most days it resulted in him angrily attempting to flip her table when he did lose against Tobirama. Still, she was intrigued, sitting next to her husband. “First round?” She asked him, knowing better than to disturb the players.

“Mmhmm, so far it looks pretty even,” Hashirama answered, leaning his head on her shoulder. “How did it go today?”

Mito shook her head, “Let's talk to them later. I've made some progress, but I still have much to go over. I want to talk to Tobirama about something later in his notes.” She answered quietly.

Slowly, time passed, little clicks from the wooden pieces hitting the board, sometimes clacking loudly, others small little clicks. Now and then, both boys would just give a small smug look as the game went on, both neither being truly defensive nor offensive, making it hard for the other men to gauge how the game was going, while Mito pondered over it quietly. More pieces were taken off the board, one at a time, until only a few pieces remain.

Frowning, Tobirama looked at Madara, “Neither of us can advance any farther. It's a draw.” He said reluctantly.

Glaring at the board, Madara huffed, “At least we were both wrong then.” He grunted, crossing his arms. “We'll rematch later!” He said, pointing a finger.

Tobirama just raised a brow, “If you're that desperate to lose, then I shall allow another later.”

Izuna cut in before any more could be said, “That was an intense game, huh?”

Mito hid a smile behind her hand as the room broke out into bickering. She knew it would get loud in here one way or another.

 


	3. Codes and Boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was hoping to talk to you both about that,” Mito answered, glancing at Madara and Tobirama. “I've made some progress, but there's a couple of things I simply can't decipher yet. The diagrams seem logical, but they way you applied several techniques are unique, and you've worded some of your notes in a code meant for you alone, Tobirama. I was hoping for you to look at them and tell me if you could decipher them. Hashirama has told me about how you've made many different codes over the years for the Senju's so people couldn't figure out what you were talking about when corresponding with each other, but none of them are the standard codes of the village. There may be a chance it's one you've made already and went back to because it was the most familiar to you.” She explained.

The sun began pouring in from the window, despite the curtains attempt to block out some of the light. Groggily, Tobirama cracked open his eyes, peeking out towards the light. It must have been late morning, but he was still tired. After staying up so late and playing games with everyone after his spar with Izuna, he had been exhausted, but still had trouble falling asleep due to his sensing. He'd never slept near so many people before, and he wondered how his adult self had been able to handle it. Did he slowly get used to it from people moving in together over time, or did he find a way to cope with it better?

With a small yawn, he finally sat up, looking around the guest room he was in. Thinking about last night, he remembered that everyone was offered to stay the night. That meant if the others stayed, in the end, they would probably be awake. He wasn't sure he was ready to handle so many people in the morning. With a tired huff, he flipped the covers off of himself and slid his feet onto the floor, turning around to quickly make the bed. Once it was made anew, he began his quiet trot to the hallway, allowing his sensing to see who was here and awake. Indeed the two Uchiha's stayed the night, and it seemed like everyone was awake other than Hashirama. With an eye roll, he padded down towards the kitchen, finding a wide-awake Mito, putting breakfast on the table in front of two sleepy Uchiha's. “Good morning.” He murmured, standing near the doorway.

“Ah, you're awake. Sit down, dear. I made some toast, miso soup, and some fish.” She said with a gentle smile, motioning to the stove top. “I'll get you a plate.” She hummed, turning to her cupboards to pull out another plate for him.

“Ah, thank you.” He replied, making his way to the table, sitting across from Izuna. Running a hand through his hair tiredly, he looked at his friend who gave him a sleepy smile and attempted to give one in return, though it turned more into a grimace.

“Morning~,” Izuna spoke, fingers fidgeting in wait. Once Mito sat down they could eat since she declared there was no point in waiting for sleepyheads.

Giving a half nod in acknowledgment, Tobirama rested his head in one of his palms, elbow digging into the table. “Did anija stay up really late? He's usually awake by now.” Tobirama commented to Mito when she sat down beside him, putting a plate in front of them both.

“No later than I did, but he's had some very busy days at work since you and Madara haven't been there to help with it all. Even when you both were around, it seemed like there were many late nights for all of you. So now, his workload has tripled. He's had a few people to help, as they do when you're all gone on missions, but there are many confidential matters that only you four were allowed to see, and a few of the councilors.” She answered calmly, before giving a small smile at the sleepy bunch in front of her. “Please, eat up, everyone.”

“Itadakamasu.” They all chimed in, before digging into the food in front of them.

Taking his time to slowly eat the food that Mito had prepared, Tobirama studied the people at the table. Izuna was a quick eater, and surely he could barely taste the food at the rate he was going. Madara seemed enthusiastic but was at least going at a more subtle pace. Mito seemed to be pacing herself as well to enjoy the flavors. “Is there any news on the scroll?” He finally asked. It had been a week, hopefully, she would have something.

He and Madara didn't belong in this timeline, he understood that fully well, and from what Mito said, the scroll definitely hadn't been meant for them. While he enjoyed seeing that all their efforts during the war were worth something in the end, seeing his brother so happy, and despite getting to enjoy the knowledge and the few friendships he had acquired this week, he knew if it dragged on, he wouldn't be sure he'd want to change back. What if they lost these memories completely, and to the adult selves, they simply were in a coma? He may have felt confused being here, but that didn't mean he'd want to lose these memories. Izuna had been trying so hard to be his friend again, and Mito had been kind and let him peruse through her books. He wanted to keep that kindness, and for it to not just vanish. Yet, he didn't want everyone to miss him as he was either. Wanting to stay would be selfish, especially with all the work he knew Mito was putting in.

“I was hoping to talk to you both about that,” Mito answered, glancing at Madara and Tobirama. “I've made some progress, but there's a couple of things I simply can't decipher yet. The diagrams seem logical, but they way you applied several techniques are unique, and you've worded some of your notes in a code meant for you alone, Tobirama. I was hoping for you to look at them and tell me if you could decipher them. Hashirama has told me about how you've made many different codes over the years for the Senju's so people couldn't figure out what you were talking about when corresponding with each other, but none of them are the standard codes of the village. There may be a chance it's one you've made already and went back to because it was the most familiar to you.” She explained.

Frowning, Madara looked at her, “So, if he doesn't know what he wrote?” He asked her bluntly.

“Then it may take longer than we were hoping for.”

Madara frowned, looking down at his plate, poking around the remaining food. “That scroll needs deciphering. My clan needs me. They may be functional for now with Izuna taking over a majority of the work, but there are things only I was allowed to make decisions on with the clan elders.” He said, stabbing at a piece of fish.

“I know.” Mito replied, “If you could refrain from taking it out on my dishes, I would appreciate it.” She said, eyeing him.

Madara looked away and grumbled out an apology, crossing his arms.

“Even if it isn't a code I've written already since it's my code, I should be able to figure it out quicker than you,” Tobirama spoke up, fingers interlocked, chin resting atop. “After breakfast, let's take a look at them. Hopefully, it won't take long.” He murmured.

“Well, if it isn't so easy, that's okay, too.” Izuna reminded them. “It's only been a week, that Mito's already figuring it out slowly and working on it to reverse it is great since knowing you it's been created slowly over several months, to ensure that it works well. Which, obviously it did.” He said with a quiet chuckle.

Tobirama frowned, “It's not something to laugh about.” He said in a clipped voice. “Even if we can't tell what it's meant to be on the scroll, I might have more notes at my house that would lend to figuring it out. Usually, I write down many of them so the others could learn, this code could be a mix of many of them.” He thought out loud. “There's a high chance it's something I would have learned at my older age, and incorporated it in with the old.” He told them.

Mito gave a small nod, “Yes, that had crossed my mind, which is why I wanted you to look at them even if you couldn't figure them out. We share many theories together, and if any of it is from old codes, if you can figure out that much, I might be able to place the rest.” She replied.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Madara asked. “I know I don't really get a lot of the theories like you guys do, but maybe having someone who doesn't understand quite as well would be good. Since I don't know it, I'd probably ask a question that might make you think of something else.” He suggested.

Tobirama narrowed his eyes at Madara, thinking over it. “There could be some benefits to that, though it pains me to admit it.” He answered. He looked to Mito, “We might as well all have a look, then.”

Mito hummed, “Very well. Let's finish breakfast, then.”

“Morning!” Hashirama chirped, walking into the kitchen. He ruffled Tobirama's hair on his way to the stove, before fetching himself a plate, sitting at the end of the table by Mito and Madara. “You all look quite serious. Talking about the scroll?” He guessed.

“Yes. We're all going to have a look. Tobirama is going to attempt to decipher his codes I talked to you about, and the other two are going to be our sounding boards.”

Hashirama nodded, “Hopefully that will help.” He said, leaning over and kissing Mito on the cheek. “Sounds more fun than my paperwork!” He joked.

“Anija.” Tobirama deadpanned. Honestly, how could they joke so much about it when it was so serious?

 

 

 

After they had cleared the table and done all the dishes, Hashirama had gotten ready for work, saying he would see them all later. The table was now littered with sheets of notes and the scroll spread out along it, all four of them looking at different pages. Mito had explained how she worked out the basic seal used for the jutsu, and a few of the more intricate parts, but that still left many complicated designs that she was still working on how to reverse their affects. Tobirama was stuck with the pages that contained his code, most likely the most crucial part of the information and how he applied some of the other seal designs to work together. At this point, his head was hurting simply because he was having trouble figuring out what the hell this was and they'd been looking at these for the past two hours. It wouldn't have been so bad except that he was obviously rushing while writing this, and it seemed like he shorthanded his own code, making it that much more difficult to decode. He needed a more fluent spot to be able to work on figuring it out.

With a groan, Madara dropped his pages to the table again, letting them sit there as he glared at them. “How did you ever work like this? It's like you jump ideas every five minutes, unable to work through one thing at a time.” He complained, hand tugging on his hair.

“Well apologies, when you have hundreds of ideas running through your mind at a time, I'd be willing to listen to any suggestions on how to keep my _notes_ of all things more organized.” Tobirama quipped. “The scroll was written clearly and efficiently, my notes can be however I like them.” Yes, these notes did some a bit unorganized even for him, but whenever he was really worked up over an experiment, he couldn't help it. He always wrote down all the ideas relating to it that came to him.

Hiding an amused smile, Mito shook her head, “You should see some of the research notes from back home. A few of my fellow scholars were horrid. Nothing ever made sense until they explained it because it was all scribbles. Tobirama keeps his notes much more organized still, believe it or not.” She told them.

Izuna tilted his head, “Okay, I've heard him talk about some of this though. It's like when he talks it comes out nice and smooth, but as soon as he writes, it just comes out in whatever order his mind says he needs to get out first. It's actually kind of amusing.” He commented.

“It's because I have to slow down to explain it to everyone,” Tobirama said with a frown. “No one ever understood what I was talking about at the Senju compound, so to even try to explain it I had to organize my thoughts more thoroughly. It's annoying.”

Madara rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath. “Whatever. Has anyone made sense of any of this?”

With a quiet hum, Mito nodded, “I think I've worked out another seal, though just one took me this whole time.” She said, thumb pressed against her lips.

Tobirama glanced at her, “Wonderful. That's one closer.” He mentioned, focusing his gaze back on the papers in his hands. Apparently, all he needed was to look away for a moment, because his mind noticed a pattern that had been staring him in the face this whole time. He quickly stood up, almost knocking down the chair, grabbing for one of the brushes on the table, scrabbling for another piece of paper at the same time. He managed to not spill the ink as he quickly dipped the brush, eyes darting back and forth over the papers while he wrote off to the side. “I'm an idiot. I thought I shorthanded these, but I didn't!” He rushed out quickly, fingers flying across the blank space on the page he grabbed. “I'm so stupid.” He grumbled to himself, working carefully as he translated the half of the code that he could. “I still don't know some of it, but this should help.” He told Mito.

Mito leaned over his shoulder, watching what he was writing down. “Oh, I see... By layering those two seals in that order on top of the basic, alongside the... wonderful. Tobirama, this is excellent. I know exactly what you had been thinking when making the second layer of seals.” She said, pulling the scroll closer to herself to look through the seals, grabbing her own brush to dip into the ink, “If we take this back to the fundamentals and apply...” she began, sketching out the outline of other seals onto her own notes for how to reverse the scroll. “Yes, yes, that makes so much sense.”

Izuna and Madara watched with blinking eyes. Madara turned to his brother, “Are they always like this once they figure something out?”

Izuna smirked, “Yep. Might as well leave them be, it seems they've gotten what they need for now.” He answered. “Wanna play a game of shogi?”

Madara shrugged, “We might as well if we'll be waiting.”

 

 

 

Several hours later, Tobirama and Mito walked into the living room, each one of them looking pleased. “Mito and I have most of the scroll figured out, but there are a few more seals she has to figure out in what order they were applied,” Tobirama said, setting down on the couch instead of the floor by the table where Madara was currently winning his game against Izuna.

“That's great! Wish we could have been more helpful.” Izuna answered, before looking down at the board again, only to find Madara had pinned down his pieces.

“Check,” Madara said smugly, arms crossed.

“Oh come on!” Izuna whined. “I still can't beat you at this stupid game.” He said with a huff, before chuckling. “Tooobii, you're like the only one who can beat him, knock him down a peg or two for me, would you?”

Tobirama raised a brow, “Normally I'd be glad to, but I think I'm quite done with concentrating at the moment.” He answered.

Madara frowned, “You're just worried you'll lose.”

“Not at all,” Tobirama said, hands rubbing at his temples, trying to alleviate some of the pain he was feeling. Between the intense work they'd been doing and the sensory overload, he wasn't feeling that great.

“A headache?” Izuna asked, facing him.

“Yes,” Tobirama said, head tilting back onto the cushions behind him. “There's still a section I couldn't figure out. We thought a break was well earned after how much we put in order.” He explained.

Mito looked to Tobirama, frowning. “Oh, I didn't even think about it.” She said, placing her hand to his forehead, applying some basic medical chakra against his scalp. “You're getting too much from your sensory ability, aren't you? Why didn't you say anything?” She asked him.

Tobirama felt the relief coursing over him, “I didn't want to be a bother.” He answered shortly.

Shaking her head, Mito flicked his forehead. “Silly child.” She scolded, “You usually have chakra suppressant beads on while you're in the village. There's so many people here with all the other clans that moved in, it must be wearing on you.” She tutted. “Why don't you have Izuna take you to your house on the way home? Surely they're around somewhere.”

“We don't mind,” Izuna answered for him and his brother. “Since we'll be close to it on our way home after all.” He said with a smile.

Tobirama looked at him, “Thank you.” He looked at Mito, putting his hand on her wrist, “I appreciate it, but I'll be okay for now. If I had suppressant beads, I'd like to get them as soon as possible.” He told her.

Placing her hand down, Mito nodded, “Of course. I'm going to keep working on the scroll once you all leave, then.” She replied, ruffling his hair a little. “Will you be coming back right after or are you going to go wandering out again?”

“I might go walking around the outside of the village, I'm not sure.” He answered honestly. “Either way, I probably won't be out too long.”

“I'll see you for supper then?” Mito asked with a knowing smile.

Nodding, Tobirama stood up. “Yes.” He looked to Izuna, content with ignoring Madara's presence. “Are you ready, then?”

“Sure thing!” Izuna replied, standing up, grabbing the shogi board and putting it away. “Thanks again for the food, Mito, it was really great, as usual!”

“Thank you. I'll send for you and Madara should anything come up.” She told him.

Madara gave her a nod, before looking to Izuna, “Let's go, then. The sooner we drop him off, then I can get to our training grounds.”

Izuna smirked, “Ehhh, you still might not want to do that. Why don't you go outside the village where someone is less likely to find you?” He suggested as they made their way to the door, all of them slipping their shoes on.

Madara frowned, “This is so annoying.”

“I know. Sorry, aniki.” Izuna answered, leading both the boys out the door, only to come face to face with Hashirama.

“Izuna, I need you to come with me to the office, and Mito too.” He said, face serious.

Izuna looked at the two boys, then back to Hashirama. “I'll get Mito, then. Madara, can you make sure Tobirama makes it to his house? Please?”

Madara frowned, “Fine.” He looked to Hashirama, “Is it something to do with us?”

Hashirama shook his head, patting Madara's head, “No, it's not. No need to worry about it, you two.” He said, seeing Tobirama listening intently. “But it needs to be dealt with quickly.”

Hashirama watched as Mito came out with Izuna, “I know you were busy, but I need your help at the office, very important.” He said apologetically.

Mito shook her head, “It's no trouble at all, dear. Let's be on our way.” She waved goodbye to Madara and Tobirama, using shunshin along with Hashirama and Izuna to get to the Hokage's office.

Madara fixed his gaze onto Tobirama, “I hate that they barely tell us anything that's going on now.” He grunted, stalking off towards Tobirama's house.

Tobirama followed beside him, “Yes. With a village like this, surely there is a lot going on behind the scenes to keep everything working and to deal with other clans and villages that are around now. I'm not used to being kept in the dark about such things, but while they're most likely trying to not concern us with things we can no longer help with, it's aggravating to not know.” He agreed.

Madara gave a simple nod before allowing silence to fall in between them, otherwise, somehow they'd most likely find a way to start fighting. Sticking to the roofs so they wouldn't attract as much attention as when walking through the streets, they quickly made their way to Tobirama's house.

When they reached the front door, Tobirama poured in some of his chakra, letting the wards he had set up as an adult deactivate, before glancing at Madara. “I don't know if you had been planning to spar with your brother or not, but if you were, you may come in for a little while to pass the time. I saw some novels last time I was here that might interest you if you enjoy reading.” He said offhandedly, toeing off his shoes. Honestly, he just didn't like to be in the house by himself. It was full of things he could see why he liked it in the future, and while there were some things obviously given to him by others, it still felt lonely in here. It was more like it was a place to stay rather than a home, and he wasn't sure how to describe it. It just wasn't quite right.

Madara glanced inside the house. It felt similar to the one he apparently owned, though the idea of having his own house still felt strange to him. But Izuna supposedly lived with his girlfriend, who was off on a mission this whole time, so he understood why he lived alone. But after always being around his siblings, it felt sort of empty. That's the impression he got here, too. “Maybe for a little while.” He responded, stepping into the house, taking his shoes off at the door, placing them near Tobirama's.

With a small nod, Tobirama lead him into his own living room, “Pick any book you'd like, I'm going to go look for those beads.” He said, “Just don't break anything. This sounds odd, but I don't know what's valuable to myself.”

Looking at the Senju, Madara couldn't help but chuckle, “I actually know just what you mean.” He answered, “In my house, there are a decent bit of things, but I've been so careful when I am there simply because I don't want to move anything too much or mess up something.”

Tobirama smirked, “Glad I'm not the only one who feels like a stranger in my own place.” He replied, “I'll be back then.” He said, turning and walking towards his room upstairs. Stepping into the room, he looked around, trying to figure out where he might have thought the best place to put his beads were. It took several minutes of searching, but he finally found them in a dresser beside his bed. He pulled them onto his wrist and could feel his sensing abilities calming down, alleviating some of the sensations he'd been forced to deal with all week. Before he closed the drawer, he noticed that there was a false bottom. Carefully, he checked to make sure there were no traps before opening it, pulling out a slim box, chakra seals placed on top of it. He eyed it awhile before experimentally placing his palm on it, pressing some of his chakra into it. He watched as the seals took in the chakra, but didn't respond fully. Ah. Not enough chakra, was it? He doubted that even with the beads off, he'd have enough. Whatever was in here must be precious to him. He couldn't ask anyone to help him open it though, the only people he talked to were busy off at the Hokage's tower, working on something that must have been a big priority for Hashirama to come collect Mito and Izuna like that. Madara was here, though...

Closing the drawer, Tobirama kept the box close to his chest, padding down the stairs and into the living room, to find Madara looking quite cozy on the couch with a book, a history book based off the title, flipping through the pages. “Hey.” He said, to get his attention as he came closer.

“Yes?” Madara asked, not even looking up from the pages, too intrigued. He'd never read this book, well, to his knowledge, and it was already quite fascinating.

“You have more chakra than I do right now,” Tobirama stated, getting Madara's attention. He sat down on the other side of the couch, cross-legged. “I... want to know what's in here.” He said, putting the box on the couch. “I don't have the chakra to open it.” He said with a frown.

Glancing over the box, Madara looked to Tobirama, “Would you really want my help, when you don't know what might be in there?”

Frowning, Tobirama nodded, “Anija and everyone else is busy. I want to know.” He answered.

Madara sat the book down carefully, before crossing his own legs, looking at the box. “Does it respond to just your chakra, or anyone's?”

Shrugging, Tobirama looked at him, “As long as it has my own chakra, I doubt it would matter if yours was there as well.” He replied, placing his hand on it. He waited for Madara to place his hand as well, “Count of three?”

“Very well,” Madara said, a bit curious himself. It must have been something important if it was hidden away like this. Maybe some important notes on Tobirama's scroll, or something about the village that they could learn about? “One, two, three.” He counted for them.

With both chakras pressing into the box, there was enough, and the seals faded away. Tobirama heard it click open. Slowly, he slid open the lid, only to stare at the contents in surprise. “That's what I put in here?” He reached down and pulled out papers, staring at them.

“What is it?” Madara asked, scooting a little closer.

“It's just... drawings,” Tobirama said, leafing through a couple. “My drawings. Why did I put them there? Safekeeping?” He asked out loud, though mainly to himself. He moved the box and turned so Madara could see as well. “I've definitely improved though. They're more realistic than what I can do now.”

Letting himself gaze over the drawings as Tobirama went through them methodically, Madara couldn't help but be impressed. “Just improved? These are amazing. It looks just like everyone.” He said. There' had been one of Mito and Hashirama, and one of them each by themselves, some scenery drawings, and most of them didn't look like the area surrounding Konoha, so they must have been from missions in different areas farther away. Then there was some of Izuna and another woman.

“That must be Touka, my cousin. She still has the same eyes.” Tobirama murmured. There was a drawing of just Izuna and Touka as well. Some drawings were of a group of kids, and he wondered if they were his students. Then, there were drawings of an older Uchiha, with hair so long and wild, or one with his hair up and in a casual summer yukata. Tobirama frowned. Was that... Madara?

“Is that me?” Madara asked, brow raised. He looked over to the Senju boy, who was simply staring at the pictures.

Clearing his throat, Tobirama nodded, “I think so.” Well, perhaps this is why he hid the drawings. According to everyone, he and Madara did not get along when they were older. So, if they hated each other, it would be pretty embarrassing to be caught drawing the man regardless. There were more, Madara with Hashirama, or Madara with Izuna, some looked like drawings of them in a meeting of sorts, and like most others, there was Madara. “I...”

Madara bit his lip, before his shoulders began to shake, “Well, with all the other drawings so accurate, I better be, too!” He said with a small laugh. “My hair is so long.” He said in a bit of wonderment. He actually really liked how he looked when he was older. Not quite so short anymore, too. Still, seeing Tobirama's face right now was hilarious. He looked so tongue-tied, and, was he embarrassed right now? “What?” He finally asked when the other didn't say anything more.

“N-nothing!” Tobirama exclaimed, grabbing all the drawings and putting them back in carefully, closing the box. He didn't activate the seals, he wanted to be able to look at the rest of the things he drew later, but when he was alone! What if there were more pictures of Madara Uchiha of all people? Did he like Madara of all people when he was older?

“I-, I should go and make supper for when everyone gets back,” Tobirama mumbled out, standing up. “Just lock the door when you're done with that book!” He said, grabbing the box and walking out quickly.

Madara just cocked his head to the side, “He's still so freaking weird.” He muttered, before grabbing the book. Well, if he was allowed to stay and read, he was going to enjoy it, thank you very much.

 


	4. The Outing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biting his lip, Madara attempted to hold back a laugh, but within seconds he lost control. “Seriously?” He managed to get out between bouts of laughter. First off, he never realized until now that Tobirama was actually just as dramatic at his brother, he was just so much more subtle about it. He sounded absolutely horrified in his own way as if he almost lost his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lovely @sanxkei drew fan art for this chapter! Look at how wonderful it is! Check out their art on tumblr!  
> Thank you so much for the art, I love it, sanxkei! <3

The next few weeks, it seemed to Madara as if Tobirama had been purposefully avoiding him. While he wouldn't normally be bothered about that since they barely saw each other half the time since they'd been turned young again, something was settling in the back of his mind that there was a specific reason and that he should be able to put it together. Whenever he came over with Hashirama when there was time for them to be able to talk together, Tobirama would magically vanish from the house, leaving a perplexed Mito as she could have sworn he'd been home. Or if Madara and Izuna were out getting groceries or something (he was getting tired of transforming into another adult from the clan, since he had only seen a drawing of himself from Tobirama's collection, and he didn't want to say that he saw them if they were so precious to Tobirama), he'd spot Tobirama and could swear that he saw the brat immediately turn into another direction (also he was dying to know who he was transforming into, Izuna seemed to know and was getting a kick out of it, so that was annoying).

Madara wished that Tobirama wasn't a sensor so he could find him before the kid ran off somewhere. He was great at tracking, but that only was so handy when the one you were chasing could sense you coming and leave without any warning. He wanted to know what the issue was. They'd bicker now and then, but overall their interactions had been becoming pretty neutral since they first discovered about the village and the peace treaty that had occurred. Had he said something that bothered him? Was he upset that Madara saw his drawings? He'd seemed confused about why they were in that silly box too, though. Something had to have happened, right?

With a frustrated groan, Madara knocked on the door to Hashirama's house, surprised to see Tobirama of all people opening it. “Oh.” He said, before mentally kicking himself. When he saw the look on Tobirama's face, his brows furrowed. “Is something wrong?” He asked, “And can I come in now?”

Tobirama backed up so Madara could come in, closing the door after him. “My cousin is home. I've had to endure some things that I wish I could wipe from my memory.” He replied dryly. “She also wants to have all of us go out.”

“How so?” Madara inquired. Tobirama didn't look amused. Did she want to do something horrid? “And who's a part of all of us?”

“You and I, Izuna and herself, Hashirama and Mito,” Tobirama responded, arms crossing. “She said that after her long mission, and that since we've all been working so hard, well, most of us, I suppose, since you and I have barely really done anything, that we should all go spend a fun outing together.” He spoke evenly.

“That doesn't sound horrible. I don't see why you're so bothered.” Madara replied, still feeling a little confused.

Taking a small breath, Tobirama put his hands on Madara's shoulders (curse the fact that Madara was short, Tobirama was barely beneath him, being so tall and lanky), staring him dead in the eyes, “Touka is her own kind of girl. Woman?” He attempted to correct himself. “Either way, the last time in my memory that I went out on an outing with her, it turned into some sort of survival training day. There were snakes everywhere, there was no chakra allowed while climbing mountains, and then there was makeup shoved into my face. I barely got away.” He answered so very seriously.

Biting his lip, Madara attempted to hold back a laugh, but within seconds he lost control. “Seriously?” He managed to get out between bouts of laughter. First off, he never realized until now that Tobirama was actually just as dramatic at his brother, he was just so much more subtle about it. He sounded absolutely horrified in his own way as if he almost lost his life. Secondly, the image of someone forcing Tobirama to put on makeup was just far too great, since he always knew him as a serious stuck up kid. “Oh kami, you just!” He broke off into another fit of laughter, bent over and trying to catch his breath.

Tobirama stood with his arms crossed now, glaring at him, completely not amused. “Well, if it's so hilarious to you, I'll gladly volunteer you for her makeup practice.” He threatened.

Madara looked up at Tobirama, stifling some chuckles as he straightened out, “Sorry, I was just picturing it, is all.” He said, clearing his throat. “I wanted to talk to you though.” He told him.

Uncrossing his arms and glancing towards the kitchen, Tobirama frowned. “What is it?”

“You've been actively avoiding me,” Madara stated, staring at Tobirama. “Ever since we opened that box.” He said a bit quietly. “I don't know what happened, but you and I have always at least put our issues up front with each other since this whole thing started. I guess I just want to know what happened that you've been hiding.”

Fingers twitching just a bit, Tobirama looked off to the side, not making eye contact. “Nothing.” He answered easily.

“If it's nothing then why don't you say that while actually looking at me?” Madara groused.

Tobirama turned back to Madara, “It's nothing.” He said, fingers twitching a bit more. When he noticed Madara looking at them, he forced them to still. “I didn't realize I'd been avoiding you.”

Madara snarled, grabbing the front of Tobirama's shirt, dragging him up close, “Don't lie to me, you stupid Senju. I think you're a weird kid, I'll say that, but I thought just maybe we could get on well enough at least while we're like this for everyone else. I thought maybe we could get along for ourselves before you started avoiding me. We're literally the only people who have ever been in this situation. I've no one to really talk to about it that would understand, and it's bothering me. So don't lie to me, because I'd at least like enough mutual respect to be able to talk about how messed up this is.” He growled out.

Tobirama stared with wide eyes at Madara, before attempting to pry the fingers off his shirt. When they didn't budge, he tried even harder to get away. “Let me go.” He demanded calmly, looking into Madara's eyes. He felt so uneasy, knowing any minute Madara could activate his Sharingan, but this was him trying to trust that he wouldn't. “Anija is about to walk in here, let go.” He ushered.

With a frown, Madara let go, “We're talking later. I don't care about what at this point if you need to talk about whatever it is you must have found, or maybe if you want to discuss the troubles of being stuck like this.” Madara stabbed his finger into Tobirama's chest, “But don't you ever lie to me.” He hissed out in a whisper since he could hear the footsteps more clearly now. He backed up a bit, arms crossed and frowning at Tobirama as Hashirama walked into the room.

“Ah, Madara!” Hashirama said happily, before looking at the two of them. “Are you two seriously already fighting?” He asked with a sigh. “My own friend and brother. Surely, one day, I will die somehow from your constant bickering.” He said dramatically, chuckling at the annoyed looks he got from both of them. “Madara, Izuna came home with me, so he's here. Also, so is his girlfriend. Who is my cousin? Just in case you forgot. Or weren't listening.” He said with a small smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

Madara huffed, “I didn't forget.” He answered shortly, before stomping over to Hashirama, “Trust me, it's hard to forget anyway with you and Izuna going on about the same things half the time.” He said with a small eye roll.

Hashirama just chuckled, “I'd say I'm sorry, but I don't think I am.” He teased, “Come on Tobi, join us in the kitchen.” He said, beaming at his little brother.

With a quiet sigh, Tobirama followed them back into the room of doom. As soon as he was in there, arms wrapped around his shoulders, “Touka, stop it.” He said, voice showing his clear annoyance.

Touka smirked, “Bite me, shrimp.” She answered quickly, ruffling his hair. “I plan on torturing you with lots of affections while you can't run away.” She informed him.

Tobirama eyed Izuna who was grinning, sending a wordless plea for help to him, only to watch his friend shrug. “Traitor.” He mumbled, accepting defeat knowing no one else would help him.

“Mm, what was that, Tobi?” Izuna asked with a cackle. “You're not speaking up very loudly.”

Mito shook her head at them all, slowly packing a basket full of food. “Well, Madara, we're glad you're here. We were planning to take you with us all on a family outing.” She spoke, gracing him with a small smile. “You'll be coming, won't you?”

Madara gave pause. As a family outing? And they wanted him? He weakly nodded, “Of course.” He answered, forcing himself to answer her. He knew they were all friends now, but for him to be considered a part of the family, well. He didn't know how to describe just how happy that made him. He wished to never forget this, that his older self could have these feelings tucked away, never to be left behind because of any stress the village and his clans may be giving him. He wondered if he appreciated everything that he had now fully. He'd have to make sure he did.

“Excellent. We'll catch fish while we're out, Touka and I thought it would be nice to picnic at a late not too far from the village. I'm bringing along some other foods and drinks to make there.” She answered with a hum.

Hashirama fluttered around the space, “I'm glad we were able to get everything resolved at the Tower, it feels like forever since we've actually been able to get us all gathered together for something that wasn't just work related.” He said, pleased with how everything was going.

Tobirama attempted to wriggle out of Touka's grasp, but she just hugged him tighter. He stayed perfectly still a bit before going completely limp, allowing himself to slip down and finally away from her. He moved quickly over to Mito, knowing that was the safest place in the room. “Just to the lakes?” He questioned, a little disbelieving that it would be something normal and not hectic.

“Yeah. There's this really cool waterfall there, too.” Izuna piped up, moving to his girlfriend who was now staring at his brother. Tobirama frowned and then busied himself helping Mito and talking to her and Hashirama, content to ignore the others as much as he could for now.

Madara noticed Touka's attention on him, but he made no move to say anything as she looked him up and down. When they locked eyes, he had to stop himself from gulping. She had such sharp eyes, nothing like that drawing he'd seen. She made him uneasy.

Touka turned and whispered to Izuna, and he simply shrugged in answer before whispering back to her, mouth hidden behind her hair so Madara couldn't make out anything they were saying. With a sigh, she looked at him again before walking over. “I know you don't remember me, but since you're staying at my home, we should probably reintroduce ourselves.” She stated, before reaching a hand out to him. “Senju Touka.”

Without hesitation, Madara reached out and shook her hand, only for his to be grasped hard. “Uchiha Madara.” He answered her back, trying not to rub his hand in front of her now that he got it away. “My brother sounds very happy with you. Thank you for taking care of him.”

Taken back, Touka stared at him. “Huh.” She said, looking him up and down again. “Well, it's not too bad looking after his sorry excuse of a person.” She said, smirking at her lover who just sighed.

“The love of my life is cruel.” He whimpered, before winking at her when he saw the loving look on her face.

Touka rolled her eyes fondly before turning her attention back to Madara, “I must say, it's really strange seeing you and Tobirama like this. But it's strange to see you young more so since I didn't grow up with you. Tobirama's always been my little cousin, that's never changed. You seem a bit milder tempered somehow.” She observed. “Well, I hope you have fun with us on the outing.”

Madara wondered why they all kept calling it an outing if they were just picnicking. He wondered if somehow Tobirama might be right to be worried over this.

 

 

 

He was going to strangle someone. Somehow, it came to an agreement that Madara and Tobirama would be the ones to catch the fish when they reached the lake. Touka had pulled out spears he swore she hadn't had earlier, most likely a storage scroll then, and tried to make it into a competition. He would admit he liked competition, but Tobirama had no interest in doing so it seemed, he was just more concerned about actually getting the fish, so it was just them looking for fish in the most boring way. Silence. To top it off, the only reason they were doing it was that everyone teased them and said the youngest had to do it. Which meant really it should be Izuna with the younger Senju, but they seemed to be trying to subtly force him and Tobirama to get along and spend time together, which usually seemed to be when they couldn't.

Glancing over to his fishing companion, he saw Tobirama staring off over at the blankets they had laid out, Mito and Touka working on getting out the food and drinks while Hashirama and Izuna were off in the woods gather branches to use for a fire. The kid was giving suspicious looks now and then at the two women, before finally looking back at the task at hand. Madara looked down at his own spear. He'd only caught a few so far, and it looked like Tobirama wasn't fairing so well either.

“How many do you have?” Tobirama asked, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over them, glancing his way over to Madara.

“Only four,” Madara answered a bit off put. “You?”

Tobirama struck his spear into the water, catching another one. “Five now.” He answered. “Three more between us should be enough since they brought other food, no need to catch as many as we can.”

Nodding in agreement, Madara carefully scanned the water as he went about the work, finally finding another fish, stabbing it onto his own spear. He made sure Touka and Mito were busy conversing before walking over near Tobirama. “Can we actually talk?”

Pausing, Tobirama eyed him out of the corner of his eyes, “What did you want to talk about this time?”

With a frustrated wave of his hand, Madara huffed, “Anything. What happened those few weeks ago? How are you coping with what happened to us? I don't know, what do you like to do besides draw and apparently work yourself overtime with studies and the such?” He suggested.

Tobirama straightened up, facing Madara. “Why does it matter to you what happened? Do you just care and want to get along solely because I'm the only one who gets what we're going through? Because if that's the only reason you want to talk, I'm not really interested. I'd prefer when people talk to me because they actually want to.” He snipped.

Taking a breath so he wouldn't shout like he did half the time, Madara looked at the boy in front of him. While Madara was a teenager, he was just a kid at this point, only nine. He may have been smart and talented at his age, but he was still only a child compared to Madara, even with everything they'd gone through. “Maybe a bit of it is because of that. But you're only nine right now. You know all these things that make you seem older and more responsible, and you may hide how you really feel about most things, but that doesn't mean you don't feel them. And I know that you're more relaxed and comfortable with everyone else, but I feel like no one has asked how you're really doing. Izuna's doing his best, but he doesn't always know what to say to me, so I'm more than sure that Hashirama hasn't really known how to you either.” He pointed out. “I know I feel so uncertain about things, and I'm very worried. Which makes me wonder, how scared are you?”

“I'm not scared!” Tobirama said quickly, glaring at him. When Madara gave him an unimpressed look, he looked away with a frown. “Maybe a little.” He answered quietly. Tobirama stabbed the spear into the water, catching another fish as they stood there. “I'm not even worried about Mito being able to reverse this, I know she figured it out the other night, they wanted to make sure we had fun today, though as far as their concerned, we don't know that yet.” He said evenly, though his fingers were twitching against the spear, tapping quietly. “But what about our memories? Will we feel like we simply lost track of time? Is there even any point to worrying about these things and thinking them over, when we might not even remember any of this? None of us know or have any idea what will happen when we turn back.” He said, fingers gripping tightly. “What's the point in today if we can't recall it later? Why bother making sure we enjoyed ourselves any when we could barely help them this whole time?”

Madara listened closely, most of the things Tobirama had been stressing over seemed to be along the same things he had been. “How do you know she's finished it?” He asked, wondering.

Tobirama sighed, “She left it out the other night, I saw it when I went to get a drink.” He responded.

Taking the information in, Madara nodded. “I see.” So this was some sort of farewell trip? Who was it for, them or the others? Both? With a grumble, Madara reached over, grabbing Tobirama's wrist, “There's a lot of what-ifs, isn't there?” He asked rhetorically. “Tonight. Let's write some notes or something to ourselves since we don't know what's going to happen.” He suggested. When Tobirama looked at him with such a sad face, he felt his chest tighten. “Listen well, Tobirama. They don't know if we'll remember, either, right? So the whole point of this? We get to spend happy moments together with our weird dysfunctional family. Even if we don't remember, they will, and they can tell us all about it and everything that happened. If we do remember it, we get to keep that special feeling with us, knowing that they still cared deeply about us when it was just a temporary state.”

With a quiet pained laugh, Tobirama gave a weak smirk. “Awfully chatty about feelings right now, Madara.” He replied.

With a huff, Madara let go, “Well, apologies for trying to be nice!” He turned around, only to feel water hit him. When he faced the Senju again, Tobirama was kneeling down, hand in the water. “Did you just splash me?” He asked dumbly.

“Who knows?” Tobirama answered, smirking.

“Ohhh, you're so done for!” Madara muttered, stalking over to Tobirama. When his target began to move away, he rushed at him, chasing him all the way back to land. Tobirama tossed his spear of fish near the blankets and Madara followed suit as he chased, both the girls smirking at them. They ran past Hashirama and Izuna, nearly making them drop the wood. When Madara managed to catch up, he grabbed Tobirama and stopped him from being able to use a substitution jutsu, struggling with the brat fighting against him. He trudged them over to the lake, “Take this!” He yelled, tossing Tobirama into the water.

When he surfaced, Tobirama spat out water that had gotten into his mouth, “Did you really just toss me into the lake?!” He demanded, using his chakra to crawl out of the water.

Madara just smirked, “Who knows?”

 

 

 

The rest of the evening was spent listening to the young boys bickering back and forth over their meal, with Izuna and Hashirama chiming in now and then only to get yelled at as well. The girls took it in stride, discussing the details of Touka's mission and her adventure, for the most part ignoring the men and boys. When the conversation began to die out, Touka suggested that they all should hold some races, no chakra to boost their speed.

They picked opponents by drawing straws. Izuna went against Mito, and he wasn't even ashamed that he lost against her. Hashirama went up against Madara, and he won that one, leaving a pouting Madara at the finish line. Tobirama and Touka went against each other. It was close, but Tobirama managed to pull ahead at the end of it through sheer will. By the time they were all done, it was starting to get late, stars beginning to show in the sky, the sun almost completely hidden. They had decided to stay up late, stargazing together. Mito had calmly explained that she had finished the reverse scroll, and neither boy went without many hugs on the way back home that night.

Hashirama insisted that they all stayed at his and Mito's home for the last night with the boys like this, and no one wanted to do otherwise. When they returned to the house, all tired, Tobirama left the guest room he had been staying in, so that Izuna and Touka could share it since it was the first night she had been back, leaving him and Madara on futons downstairs together. The good-nights that night lingered on more than usual, though barely any more words were uttered.

Madara laid on the futon, staring at the ceiling. He looked over at the other futon across from himself, and the space between them both. “You okay?” He asked Tobirama, who had yet to fall asleep either despite the late hour.

Shifting a bit, Tobirama shrugged. “I don't know.” He answered honestly. “I mean, are you?”

“I don't know either,” Madara admitted. Silence fell between them both again. Several minutes went by before he got up, moving his futon right next to Tobirama's. When he settled back in he was at the edge, laying right next to the other. “We didn't have time for those notes.” He commented.

Tobirama turned onto his side, looking at the Uchiha in front of him. “No, we didn't.” He replied. He hugged the blankets around himself tighter. “I think I'm scared.”

“Yeah.” Madara agreed. “If... if we don't remember, there's not really anything we can do.” He said, voice quiet. “But, we're in this together tomorrow, okay?”

Tobirama gave him a doubtful look. “Do you promise?”

Madara nodded, “Yeah.” He replied simply. “So no more avoiding, alright?”

With a small chuckle, Tobirama smiled, “I won't.” He agreed.

Content as he could be right now, Madara closed his eyes. When he felt a shaky hand grab his own hand, he simply gripped it back. “Try to sleep, Tobirama.” He murmured, already almost drifted off himself.

“Thank you, Madara,” Tobirama whispered, drifting off easier for the first time since this all began.

 

 

 

 

Peeking down over the stair rails, Hashirama held Mito closer to himself, “This is going to all fine, right?” He asked her, head on her shoulder.

“I certainly hope so.” Mito answered him, hand resting on his arm. “We'll get them back, even if seeing them like this again is something we'll never forget.” She murmured, head tipped back onto his shoulder, face in his neck.

 


	5. Back To Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama nodded, remaining silent at this point. The three of them continued to sit there all morning, waiting for the others to wake up. Mito was the first one awake as expected, and she made them all sit closer together, sitting on Madara's side, her hand clasped with Hashirama's behind them, embracing them both together in a way. A little while later, Izuna and Touka stumbled down into the room, immediately quiet when they saw the solemn looks on the couch.

The morning came quick, birds chirping, the light peering through the windows as the sun rose, and the sound of hushed whispers. Cracking open his eyes, Madara blinked a few times to focus his gaze, looking around the room to see Tobirama sitting with Hashirama on the sofa, both looking solemn. Seeing the two hugs each other tightly, he quickly shut his eyes again, attempting to try to pretend to be asleep.

Pulling back from the tight hug, Tobirama glanced at the bundle under the blankets. “I know you're awake.” He said quietly, not ready to talk loudly yet.

Madara frowned. “Sensor freak.” He mumbled quietly to him, sitting up slowly, stretching. He dragged himself out from the covers, sitting next to Tobirama on the sofa, giving him a small nod, before looking to Hashirama. “Hey, Hash.”

“Morning, Madara,” Hashirama said, keeping his own voice quiet. “Sleep well?”

Shrugging, Madara gave a small nod, “Yeah, well enough.” He answered, looking at the floor. “So. It's happening this morning.” He mentioned nonchalantly.

Hashirama gripped his pants, “Yes.” He answered shortly, staring at his childhood friend. “I know we're not sure what's going to happen exactly, but, I am going to miss you.” He admitted. “It was really nice getting to see you like this again – and I know that it's not going to be easy standing there waiting for it to change again, but. I'm glad we had some more time together like this.”

Taking a deep breath, Madara nodded, “I hope Tobirama and I get to remember this, that we don't lose these memories. Getting to see how things worked out was really spectacular, and getting to see you grown up... I'm proud that I got to be your best friend again because we've really made things better than they were.” He answered, finally facing Hashirama again, only to see his friend in tears. “D-don't cry! Why are you crying?!” He demanded quietly.

With a small whine, Hashirama swooped in, grabbing both of the boys and pulling them close to him, “I'm proud of both of you too, now and then.” He said, clinging tightly. “It was fun getting to take you both out again, and really getting to see how much you've both changed, and I really wish you could stay just a bit longer, but I know you can't.” He whimpered.

Tobirama closed his eyes, patting his brother on the back. “Thanks, Anija.” He murmured, accepting it at this point. He knew his brother was going to get emotional over this one way or another, so he chose to accept it instead of getting annoyed with him right now.

Madara squirmed a bit, before hiding his face in Hashirama's shoulder, “Stupid Senju.” He muttered weakly, trying to keep back his own tears at this point. Honestly, when Hashirama was upset and it wasn't over something trivial, he always felt strong emotions for him as well, and feeling uneasy himself, he couldn't help it that his own eyes were a little watery at the moment. “You're going to break something if you don't loosen up.”

With a quiet sigh, Hashirama gave one more tight squeeze before letting them go, leaning back into his spot. He wiped at his eyes, giving them a watery smile. “Don't worry, Mito knows exactly what she's doing, so nothing going to go weird or anything.” He attempted to assure them.

“I've no doubt over Mito's skills,” Tobirama began, hands clasping on top of his lap. “I suppose I'm just... not ready to handle everyone saying goodbye and looking so sad.”

Clasping Tobirama's shoulder, Madara hummed, “Well, they won't be as obvious as Hashirama, at least.” He chuckled weakly.

Tobirama nodded, remaining silent at this point. The three of them continued to sit there all morning, waiting for the others to wake up. Mito was the first one awake as expected, and she made them all sit closer together, sitting on Madara's side, her hand clasped with Hashirama's behind them, embracing them both together in a way. A little while later, Izuna and Touka stumbled down into the room, immediately quiet when they saw the solemn looks on the couch.

“Guess this is it, huh?” Izuna said, standing in front of them all. He knelt down, placing his hands on Tobirama's. “Thank for being my friend again, Tobi. It was a lot of fun when I got to see you.” With that, he hugged him, letting Tobirama bury his face into his shoulder.

“Thank you for trying to much to be my friend. We both know how stubborn I can be.” Tobirama mumbled into him.

Izuna just pulled back and gave him a smile, before scooting over to his brother, pulling him close as well. “I hope you at least had some fun, aniki, with everything. I'm gonna miss seeing you like this, but I'm also happy to get to see you as I know you.” He mumbled.

Madara hugged him back, “I did, and I'm happy I got to see you so grown up. Touka seems like a great girl for you.” He answered.

After Izuna pulled back, Touka gave her goodbye by ruffling both of their heads, “Make sure you guys behave yourselves.” She said with a wink, stepping back. “I'm not gonna say anything sad like these guys, but. See you soon.” She said with a tight smile.

Mito looked around the room at everyone, before clapping her hands together. “Alright, before we use the scroll, Hashirama mentioned that you boys were in the same clothes you were in before becoming young. There are some yukatas for you boys in the guest room, there's going to be quite loose right now.” She said, offering a calming smile while trying to uplift the mood some. She didn't need them to be terrified while they waited for the reverse to take effect.

Tobirama stood up first, glancing at Madara. “Let's go get them.” He said, walking to the stairs, quietly padding up them. Reaching the guest room, there were two yukatas hanging on a closet door. Grabbing one, he tossed it to Madara, before slipping off his shirt, getting into the yukata before taking off the rest of his clothes. Once it was tied somewhat loosely, he tried to keep it on his shoulders, occasionally having to fix the sleeves from dropping off. When he saw Madara having to do the same, he gave a quiet laugh. “We look ridiculous.”

Snorting, Madara nodded his agreement. “Well, hopefully not for too long.” He quipped. He stepped over to Tobirama, “Before we go back down, uhm.” Madara flushed a bit, hand scratching the back of his neck. “I want to. We should probably be friends, you know?” He said awkwardly, trying really hard not to look away. “If we remember. Let's try to work on it as adults. Because I really had fun last night, and I don't want to lose being able to get along with you. You're still weird, but uh, you're a cool weird.”

Staring at him, Tobirama smiled. “Yeah, we should do that.” He agreed, reaching his hand out, “Let's shake on it. As men.”

Madara grinned, “As men.” He replied, shaking Tobirama's hand. But he didn't let go. He pulled the kid close, hugging him. “Together, we'll be okay. We'll deal with whatever happens next.” He promised again.

Tobirama stiffened a bit, before slowly relaxing. “I know why I hid the box.” He said, ready to tell Madara what all he had found. “It's because-”  
“You boys doing alright up there?” Hashirama called up the stairs, making Tobirama stop what he was going to say.

“We're coming down in a second!” Tobirama answered, pulling away from Madara. “Let's go.” He said, grabbing Madara's wrist to lead him out of the room.

Eyes wide, Madara stumbled along, “Wait, what were you going to say? Tobi?” He asked quickly.

Tobirama shook his head, “I suppose I'll tell you later.” He answered, not looking back.

“We don't know what's going to happen, how can you say that?” Madara demanded, quieting as they went down the stairs. Tobirama never answered him, and he knew then he couldn't force him to answer with everyone else around.

Tobirama let go of Madara's wrist before they were seen, and he walked into the middle of the room, Mito kneeling before the reverse scroll she had engineered. When she saw them, she nodded. “Stand in front of me, and we'll start.”

Taking their place in front of her, Madara glanced at everyone's faces again, before biting his lip. This was it. Mito began to pour her chakra into the scroll, hand signing a few releases. Before she finished, a hand grabbed onto his. He looked over to see Tobirama with his eyes squeezed shut. He squeezed Tobirama's hand, “Bye, guys.” Madara said for the both of them.

 

 

 

Dizzy. Everything definitely felt dizzy, and his eyes were closed. Groaning, he tried to assess the situation he was in before looking around, but he could barely move at the moment. It felt as if a Stone nin had crashed into him with a rock wall. What was that in his hand? Experimentally, he gave a squeeze, finding another hand in his. Oh. That was strange. Forcing his eyes open, Madara turned his head, only to see Tobirama across from him, eyes closed, breaths shallow. Why was he breathing so shallow? Where they on a mission? What happened? Slowly sitting up to look around better, he was immediately met with concerned faces from his friends and family. “What's going on?” He rasped.

“Aniki!” Izuna cried, kneeling down beside him, grabbing onto him. “Aniki, you're back!” Izuna gasped out, shaking from all of the emotions he was feeling right now. “How do you feel? Do you remember anything?”

Unable to cope with the onslaught of questions, Madara gently pushed away Izuna, his free hand going to his temples, rubbing at them. “Everything hurts.” He answered. “Pain pills?”

Izuna stood up quickly, “I'll fetch you some from the kitchen, and water.” He answered, dashing off into the other room.

As he sat there, Madara had some sort of flashes in his mind, fleeting moments passing, showing days as a kid in this village. Groaning, he laid back down, “Kami, what...” He whispered to himself, feeling his mind attacked with the images becoming much clearer, everything that had happened. For a whole month, he'd been a kid? And what, he just grew back to normal size? No wonder he ached so horribly.

Hashirama knelt down beside Madara, hands already green with medical chakra, analyzing his body to see if anything was actually wrong or not. “Hey, Madara.” He said with a small smile, “Feeling pretty rough, huh?”

Making a noncommittal noise, Madara vaguely motioned with his hand, “Pretty sure I ran full speed into a wall.” He answered, glancing at Hashirama before looking over to Tobirama. “How long since that reverse seal?” He asked. Izuna came rushing in, kneeling beside Hashirama so he could hand Madara a cup and the pills. Happily taking the cup to drink some water, Madara tried to sip it, but he ended up chugging it down after a bit.

“It's been a little while, you both collapsed afterward and have been out cold since,” Mito answered, standing behind Hashirama. “You were the first to wake up. Tobirama has barely moved at all. We've been keeping a close eye on him.” She reported.

Turning to face the Senju, Madara eyed him up and down, watching his chest rise and fall. “What a mess.” He muttered, shaking his head a little. “The scroll fell off the table, we went to catch it, I guess the chakra we used to enhance our reflexes must have set it off together between the both of us.” Madara tried to explain. Thinking of their chakra together, Madara felt his mind dwelling on the box the little Tobirama had found and brought down. Those beautiful drawings of everyone, and the several he saw of himself. He needed to have a talk with Tobirama about that, now that he understood just why they might have been there. Amazing the things you think about when you know someone better when you're older.

There was a sharp intake of breath, Tobirama sitting up with a coughing fit, hand grasping tightly to Madara's as his body shook from the effort. Waiting for the coughing to stop, Madara gave his hand a small squeeze.

Mito moved from behind Hashirama, quietly asking Izuna if he brought more pain pills and taking the extra cup of water. Taking those and kneeling beside Tobirama, she helped him sip at the water, letting her own hand get enveloped with medical chakra, doing her best as Hashirama had taught her, checking up on him, analyzing what his body was telling her. She made him swallow the pills before resting her hand on his shoulder, “Lie back down slowly, Tobi.” She murmured, setting the cup down, gently making him lie back down. “How do you feel?”

Tobirama scrunched his eyes closed, “Feels like I got rammed into, repeatedly.” He answered dryly. “My head is pounding, and everything that happened is coming in waves.” He breathed out, squeezing the hand in his own. At the moment he didn't care that it was Madara of all people, all his muscles were on fire, and anything to distract him somewhat was more than welcomed.

“But you two do remember?” Touka finally spoke up, watching them both from where she had been standing the whole time since they had been changed back.

“Yes,” Madara answered, glancing around at all of them. “If any of you ever touch my face like that again, I'm going to gut you open.” He grumbled. Apparently, if given the chance, almost everyone wanted to pinch his cheeks. That really was a blow to his pride as a man, and remembering it vexed him.

Beside him, Tobirama snorted, “What else could you possibly expect when you're a foot shorter than everyone?” He questioned.

“Why, you!” Madara huffed, glaring over at him. “Shut up.” He hissed, “Or do I need to ask your cousin about those makeup skills of hers?”

Tobirama raised a brow, “I've accepted my fate years ago.” He answered vaguely.

“Ohh, he lets me do it now!” Touka said with a snicker. “I get to put makeup on him and talk about woman stuff with him! He's actually pretty fun with things like that now.”

Eyeing Tobirama, Madara couldn't help but chuckle himself, “Please, inform me next time afterward. I'm desperate to see this.”

Mito smiled as the room broke out into small laughs, knowing everything was going to be just fine with her little family.

 

 

 

It took a whole week before Madara and Tobirama had been able to escape from the watchful eyes of their friends and family. They had taken the next few days slowly, before being thrown back into their work at the Tower, and letting everyone know that they were back from their “mission” they had taken. Whenever they had a small break, someone would randomly pop up to check up on them no matter where they were. Tobirama actually had to beat Hashirama off just to get back into his labs and to organize everything since he never did get around to tidying up after finishing his jutsu. Madara had to kick Izuna out of his own home because he would just stop by and say how weird it was not having Madara following him around half the day anymore, and there was only so much Madara could take before he lost his mind.

It hadn't been planned, but Tobirama and Madara ended up running into each other near the lake that the others had taken them to. It was the same lake they went to every year to celebrate the birth of Konoha, though they couldn't have understood how important this place was to all of them when they were younger. Coming here at the same time had to mean something, Madara decided.

Tobirama sat on the ground near the water. He glanced over his shoulder as Madara approached. When Madara sat down next to him, he simply stared off at the water.

“Escaping from your family?” The older man asked with a knowing grimace.

Tobirama simply gave an aggravated sigh, “Yes.” He answered, “I suspect you are as well, then?”

“Mmhmm.” Madara hummed, crossing his legs, hands resting comfortably on top of them. “I've been wanting to talk to you alone.”

Flushing, Tobirama looked away, “Don't say anything.” He replied, fingers fidgeting in his own lap.

Grinning, Madara leaned over, chin resting on Tobirama's shoulder, “But, darling, you hid something quite adorable from me.” He teased.

“Shut up, Uchiha.” Tobirama quipped quickly, still not looking at him.

With a quiet laugh, Madara grabbed Tobirama's hand, holding it close in his own. “I should think, as we are seeing one another, you should have shown me those drawings of yours since I did happen to catch you drawing them before.” He murmured against Tobirama's neck, nuzzling into the younger man.

Tobirama twitched a bit, before leaning his head on Madara's, “And what would you have me say, Madara? 'Ah, yes, we've just started courting only a week ago, but did you know I've been drawing you for the past year, because I quite happened to be madly intrigued by you, hiding it away all this time'? Or perhaps, I should have simply said, 'Drawing has been one of my few relaxing hobbies that makes my mind go quiet, would you mind if I indulged myself drawing you'?” He inquired.

Pursing his lips, Madara made Tobirama face him, hand cupping his jaw. “Just knowing I've had your attention for so long is enough to make my emotions feel wild with affection, you could have asked me to strip for your drawing and I wouldn't have hesitated.”

Flushing again, Tobirama eyed him, “You're such a drama queen.” He supplied, before leaning in, claiming their first kiss since they were back to themselves.

“You cannot fool me any longer, Tobirama. I know you're far more dramatic, just like your brother.” He answered easily, smiling, reaching up for another kiss. “Besides, like I've said earlier, we're in this together now.” He said with a smirk.

Groaning, Tobirama shook his head, “We had no idea what we were saying.” He said, palming his face with his free hand. After a bit, he pulled his hand free from Madara, pulling on the older man down with him onto the grass, laying next to each other on their sides. “Still, I suppose that was true.” He admitted.

Madara nodded, scooting close to Tobirama, pulling him in for another kiss. Hands searched gently over each other, placing loving touches on sides, occasionally pulling closer when on each other's backs. The kiss deepened slowly, quiet moans escaping their lips. Just as Madara rolled on top of Tobirama, hands exploring his chest, they were interrupted by two screeches.

Tobirama tipped his head back, eyes narrowed as he saw Izuna and Hashirama in a bush from the forest line, staring at them with their mouths wide open. Whoops. He should have noticed that.

“Madara...” Hashirama began, voice low.

“Oh, fuck,” Madara said in-eloquently.

Hashirama yelled, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY BROTHER?!”

Tobirama calmly looked up at Madara, “Ah. Seeing as no one knew we were seeing each other yet... You may want to run.”

Madara scrambled up off him quickly, eyes wide as Hashirama began to run towards him. “I'll see you later, Tobirama!” He yelled, taking off.

Sitting up, staring after the two as they ran off out of sight, Tobirama frowned. Just when they finally had time to themselves.

“Tobi...” Izuna spoke up, right behind him.

Sighing, Tobirama stood up, turning around to face his friend. “Yes, Izuna?” He asked dryly.

Smacking his friends arm hard, Izuna pouted at him, “How could you not tell me you two finally got together?!” He demanded. “I thought we were as close as best friends!!!!!” Izuna whined, hanging on to Tobirama as the said man began to walk away.

“Don't be an idiot, we are best friends.” Tobirama clarified. Hearing the battle cries behind him, he rubbed at his brows. “They'll be out all evening most likely.” Glancing back at the pouting Izuna, he rolled his eyes, “You hungry?”

Perking up, Izuna nodded, letting go, walking beside him, “Heck yeah! What should we get today? Dango? Or that barbecue shop we hadn't gotten to try yet?” Izuna rapid fired, grinning. “Hey, when we've got the time, let's train again! It was fun going up against you when you were little and all, but I really had to hold back a lot.”

Tobirama simply hummed, “Either sounds fine to me.” He said, bumping shoulders with his friend, only to get bumped back. When his brother was done trying to murder his boyfriend, he'd have to make sure to find time to spend with him before they had to go their separate ways for the night. He had missed him, after all.

 


	6. Afterwards

Today was a special day, one that felt like it would mark the rest of their future together. It had nearly been a year since what their small group called the Young Incident, but it had been exactly a year since they started dating, even though they lost a month of their time together. Slowly, the village had learned to see Tobirama and Madara together, walking through the streets no longer fighting constantly, instead occasionally holding hands and letting their shoulders bump as they talked amongst themselves. Most assumed something had happened over their “mission”, and they didn't feel the need to correct them.

Standing in front of the mirror, Madara did his best to brush out all the tangles his hair always accumulated, tying it up with a string, knowing that Tobirama immensely enjoyed seeing him with his hair up. After checking that it was in place as well as it ever could be, satisfied with that, he tried to get out any wrinkles on his yukata, a deep purple that he felt suited him well. One last glance in the mirror was all he needed before nodding to himself, turning and walking out of the bedroom. By the time he walked downstairs and got his shoes on, there was a knock on the door. Calming himself, he took a deep breath, opening the door. “Wow.” He said, breathless.

He wasn't the only one who apparently tried cleaning up nice for the day. He didn't see Tobirama out of his gear often, but when he did the man was simply in his casual clothes most of the time, his favorite blank pants, and shirt. Today, he was dressed in a deep ocean blue yukata, his hair combed so that it didn't look quite so spiky, but more slicked back and out of his face, and was that eyeliner? He looked utterly delicious, and Madara could feel his knees weaken at just the sight of his boyfriend. “You look wonderful.” He breathed out, eyeing everything rather obviously.

Flushing, Tobirama ducked his head a bit, “As do you.” He said, returning the compliment, before clearing his throat a bit. “Shall we get going?” He inquired, stepping closer to Madara, hand reaching up, fingers threading through the soft locks, giving a small smile.

Going out to dinner seemed like such a hassle now, when the only meal he wanted was right in front of him. Reaching up to grab the hand playing with his hair, Madara hummed, “I'd say yes, but I think I'd rather... have dessert first.” He murmured, stepping into Tobirama's space, chest to chest. “Or perhaps you'd rather wait?” He asked, not wanting to push anything. They'd yet to engage in the bedroom, and sometimes it had left Madara extremely frustrated, but he wanted to wait until he was sure that Tobirama was ready and wanting.

Face turning absolutely red, Tobirama looked off to the side. “I wouldn't want to waste your efforts on dressing up, I'm sure it took some time.” He mumbled. “I'd quite like to walk around with you, Madara.”

Raising a brow, Madara smirked, “Are you saying you want to parade me around the village?” He questioned, completely amused.

“Why wouldn't I? You look breathtaking, surely I am allowed the pleasure to show off what is mine, and to leave others jealous with envy.” Tobirama answered smoothly, finally looking back at Madara. Besides, he had plans for tonight, and it wouldn't be as fun if they weren't in town.

Finally flushing himself, Madara harrumphed, “You can be dashing when you want to be, Senju Tobirama.” He replied, before casting a smile Tobirama's way. “Let's go then, I suppose for one evening I wouldn't mind being displayed.”

Giving a rare winning smile, Tobirama offered out his arm, only moving out to the streets once Madara latched on. “No need to worry, I've planned on making this evening extraordinary.”

“Hm, we'll see,” Madara responded, leaning a bit against Tobirama. “What's on the agenda for today?” He asked. His little genius had been rather vague on the details, wanting it to be somewhat of a surprise. He knew there would be dinner at one of the fancy restaurants of Konoha, one of the few they had since most places were more catered towards warm meals in a casual manner for the shinobi who were too tired to do any cooking themselves.

“You'll find out as we go along,” Tobirama answered, smirking. “I don't want to give the surprise away, Madara.” He teased, leaning over and kissing his partner's cheek.

 

 

 

Sitting at the table, Madara was already feeling a bit amazed. It seemed Tobirama had actually bought out the restaurant for the night, leaving it to be just them and a few of the wait staff. That must have cost quite a lot. There were candles lit, leaving the atmosphere relaxing and sweet, and Madara kept looking around, feeling a bit giddy. Never had someone he'd been dating woo him with romantics like this. This moment was more than special since he and Tobirama didn't often show affection in public. Neither of them were really the type for it in the first place, and it wasn't anyone's business to know what their relationship was like. “You really did plan this all out.” He hummed in amazement.

Tobirama sat contentedly, observing Madara as he looked all around the place, at the candles, the décor of the restaurant, “I informed you I planned on being the one to take you out tonight.” He murmured, foot reaching under the table to gently nudge Madara's. “Do you like it?”

Turning towards the younger man, Madara gave him an incredulous look. “Do I like it?” He repeated back. “Of course I do, it's.” He paused a moment, “It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” He assured him. “I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

Grinning, Tobirama leaned forward, “Excellent” He mused, putting an elbow on the table, face resting on his palm. “This is just the start of our night, I have much more planned, koibito.”

Silently, Madara reached his hand out, waiting for Tobirama to move his own into his palm. Clasping their hands together, he hummed, “I am looking forward to it.” He whispered, squeezing Tobirama's hand. “Don't forget, though. I have something for you as well later when time permits.” He reminded.

Nodding, Tobirama stared at him. “Of course.” He agreed. “I'm looking forward to it, as well.”

Dinner went smoothly, the wait stuff not coming over too often, but always there when they needed them. The meal was absolutely wonderful, and they even had a few cups of sake to relax with. By the time their meal was over, they were both very carefree, though they were hardly tipsy.

Thanking the staff, Tobirama paid them for their meals and for the time. When he was finished, he escorted Madara out, smile still on his face as they walked the streets. “Are you ready for the next part of the evening?” He asked, wrapping his arm around Madara's waist, pulling him close.

Leaning against his significant other, Madara nodded, “Still looking forward to whatever it is you've got planned.” He assured, leaning his head on Tobirama's shoulder. He couldn't imagine anything topping the dinner they just had other than getting to spend more time alone, uninterrupted. It always felt like such a rare thing.

Turning off the main streets onto a little cobble path, Tobirama hummed quietly under his breath as he lead the way. He turned to his partner to watch his reaction as they walked to the Senju gardens. However, he'd recruited his students, and they'd done an excellent job.

Madara took a breath in. He'd been here many times on walks with Tobirama, his lover telling him about all of the plants and talking about trivial matters, but he'd never seen it lit with so many lanterns, scattered all along the walls and the pathways, making the place glow so beautifully. “This is beautiful.” He murmured, looking around in total awe.

Smirking, Tobirama nodded, “Yes, isn't it?” He leaned towards Madara, kissing his cheek. “I know you like your walks now and then at night, I figured we'd walk around the gardens for a bit.” He said in a hushed voice, closing his eyes for a moment. “No one's going to disturb us here tonight.”

Turning to face Tobirama, he smirked, “I never thought you'd be capable of so much romanticism, Koibito.” He teased, though he was utterly delighted. Neither one really took on a role in their relationship, it simply worked with them both being themselves, but being treated to this was special, especially when his lover would much rather show his affection in smaller ways. Those moments meant everything, but something like this meant just as much because of how much effort the younger man had put in.

Rolling his eyes, Tobirama lightly smacked his shoulder, “I promised you I would do something special for tonight, I'm simply keeping my word.” He answered, moving his arms from around Madara, grabbing his hand instead. “Come on, then, let's walk through for a while.” He said, starting them down the side paths.

Quietly, they walked amongst the outside paths first, simply taking in the view of the gardens and the sky together, each with a glow of their own. When they reached the middle, they found the bench that the Senju's had placed, and Tobirama moved them towards it. He sat down first, only to pull Madara into his lap, making the older man chuckle. “Hmm?”

“Nothing, it's just that usually, I am the one pulling you down.” He commented, leaning back against the broad chest under him.

“Hardly makes any sense, considering you're shorter than I am.” Tobirama teased, leaning forward to nibble on Madara's ear, hands trailing his thighs.

Swallowing, Madara squirmed a little, “Tobi.” He warned, though he barely seemed able to speak. It was hard to make comebacks whenever Tobirama did things like this, and he was well aware the sensor knew fully just what he was doing.

With a smug look, Tobirama hummed, “What?” He questioned, voice full of innocence that Madara knew would be unbelievable if he were to turn around and look. Wrapping his arms around his torso, Tobirama rested his chin on Madara's shoulder, turned just enough to nibble at his neck, teeth barely scraping over the sensitive skin. “Is something the matter?” He asked, arms tightening to keep his lover just right where he was.

“Nng, yes, you asshole.” Madara quipped, leaning away from that mouth. Except all that did was give Tobirama more access, and that definitely wasn't his goal. “We're out in the open.” He hissed when the younger man started to bite a little harder, causing him to squirm, teeth biting down on his own lip to keep himself quiet.

Huffing a satisfied laugh, Tobirama released Madara's neck from his teeth, if only for the moment. “As I said earlier, no one will disturb us. I made sure by placing a barrier around the gardens.” He answered, going back to his nibbling, occasionally licking the skin beneath him. He allowed one hand to snake up Madara's chest, slipping into the yukata to glide along the skin underneath, exploring Madara's torso and chest. “I won't let anyone see you other than me.” He promised, voice going even lower than normal. “You're mine, after all.” He claimed, kissing up along the neck, bared for him.

Gasping a bit, Madara clenched his fists, before letting them grab onto Tobirama's yukata, pulling to ground himself. When he felt the man beneath him slowly grind up against him though, feeling the hardness, he couldn't help the slight whimper that left his lips. “Oh, Kami.” He breathed. What he'd do right now to take him home, dropping him on the bed to devour him.

“I'll accept that title, for now, I suppose.” Tobirama rumbled, taking Madara's ear into his mouth and sucking on it, while his fingers found purchase on the man's nipple, lightly pinching and twisting it, earning a slight moan from the man on his lap. “However, you'll be saying my name soon enough.” He taunted huskily.

Now that he was sure Madara wasn't just going to get up, no longer fighting against his advances, he quickly untied the belt of the yukata, hands trailing down until they reached his underpants. Teasingly, he let his fingers run underneath of the band back and forth, and he listened intently as Madara's breathing picked up.

“How long do you plan to continue... to tease me?” Madara demanded, head lolled back onto Tobirama's shoulder, burying his face into the man's neck. He could feel how hot he was getting, though whether if it was mainly from the bit of embarrassment or the arousal, he wasn't sure.

“Until I deem you fit,” Tobirama answered easily, hands leaving the band, for one arm to hold Madara close as the other began to trace patterns over the bulge on display for him, watching his lover closely, watching all of the signs his body made. Madara's writhing was affecting him more than he'd like to admit, but his focus was on stringing his lover up to the point he was barely capable of speaking any words other than his name, slowly taking him apart piece by piece. It had never been that he was shy about these things, but he had wanted the first time to be special. It seemed like being together for a year with the man he loved was special enough.

When he felt Tobirama use his own legs to spread his further apart, Madara reached a hand up to Tobirama's hair, lightly tugging on it, while the other hand found the hand along his chest, intertwining their fingers together. “Are you... planning on continuing this here?” He gasped out, unable to hold it back while he was talking. It wasn't very fair that his lover should squeeze him just so when he was trying to ask a question.

Smirking, Tobirama hummed, “Well, not entirely so.” He answered, turning his face enough to find Madara's lips, kissing him slowly, drawing out his tongue as he continued to play with him, all of it tantalizingly slow, but firm. Feeling Madara whimper into the kiss was such a wonderful incentive to keep going. He moved his hand back underneath of the band, slipping into the pants, fingers now gliding along, skin to skin.

With a choked gasp, Madara bucked up into those hands. He blamed his reactions on the fact that he'd yet to do anything with Tobirama, and that this heat and tension had been slowly building up over the years between them. Now though, to be touched by him, it left a powerful feeling in his chest, as well as other places. “Tobi, please.” He asked, though not quite sure what for. For more? To move somewhere else? Anything seemed like a good idea right now.

“Not yet,” Tobirama answered, grasping a little firmer, squeezing every time he went over the tip, thumb stroking the top. “I want to watch you for now.” He informed the man, eyes never leaving Madara's face, which was now a wonderful flush.

Pushing lightly back down against his lover, Madara could feel his legs starting to tremble in this open position, unable to ground himself on anything since Tobirama made it so he wasn't touching the ground. All he had was his hold on the hair and the hand, which left him unable to move around much. He felt a bit vulnerable, yet at the same time, he didn't mind because he was with Tobirama. “Kami, please, Tobi.” He pleaded when the young man began to pump his faster, albeit not very much so. “Fuck, Tobi.” He gasped.

Chuckling, Tobirama began to nibble on his ear and neck once more, pleased with the moment. He slowed his hand down again to a lazy stroke, earning a whine. The noises Madara made were quite pretty, and he was having fun riling the man up. Gently pulling his other hand away, leaving Madara to grasp onto his yukata, he trailed his fingers from his lover's sternum all the way down to his pelvis, before falling to the side, stroking his thigh. “What would you like, koibito?” He whispered into his ear. “Hmm? Would you like me to take you somewhere to have my way with you, or perhaps you were interested in having your way with me?”

Groaning, Madara nodded his head quickly, “Either. Both. Please, Tobi.” He pleaded again, hand tightening in that white hair, making the younger man groan a bit as well.

Slowly, Tobirama quit his advances, pulling away. Lazily closing Madara's yukata, he pushed his lover up so he was standing, before doing so himself. “Hold still.” He murmured, wrapping an arm around Madara, pulling him close. Pulling his chakra together, he used his hiraishin to transport them to Madara's house, on the front of the porch.

“Inside, now,” Madara demanded, grabbing Tobirama's hand, pulling him inside quickly. Once the door was closed he pushed Tobirama against it, slowly grinding their hips together, making the younger man tip his head back against the door, a low groan escaping him. “Do you think you can get away with teasing me like that, To-bi-ra-ma?” He asked, accentuating every syllable of his lover's name, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him down for a deep kiss. When hands wrapped around his thighs and hefted him up, he let out a small yelp, scrabbling for cloth to grab and hang onto.

Utterly amused, Tobirama smirked at him, “Don't worry, I won't drop you onto the floor.” He murmured, kissing Madara again before carrying him off to the man's bedroom.

Madara grumbled against Tobirama's neck, and to take some petty revenge, he began nibbling and sucking, hoping that he'd leave some marks on his man. Pleased with the low groans, he smiled smugly, “Sorry, am I distracting you?” He asked innocently.

Walking into the bedroom, Tobirama went straight to the bed, dropping Madara down onto the middle. “Only in the most pleasing way,” Tobirama answered, straddling himself on top of Madara's hips, leaning down to capture his lips in another kiss.

Closing his eyes, Madara simply let himself feel as he rolled his hips up against his lover, hands tugging at the belt keeping his yukata on. Once he removed that, he let his fingers peel the cloth down Tobirama's shoulders. When they pulled apart for breath, he let himself take in the disheveled image of Tobirama, face flushed, hair askew, looking so delicious. “Beautiful.” He murmured, thumb reaching up to stroke Tobirama's cheek. “And all mine.” He said, parroting Tobirama's word from earlier.

“For as long as you'll have me,” Tobirama promised, gazing fondly at Madara. “I'll always be yours, Madara.” He murmured, leaning to suck and bite at Madara's throat.

Groaning, Madara bucked up, pressing them together in wonderful friction, “Lube. Dresser.” He said, informing Tobirama. “Fetch it, please.” He breathed, pulling the yukata all the way off of his lover, leaving him in just his underpants.

Reaching over, Tobirama slid the drawer open fumbling around the inside. When he felt a cool vial, he grasped it and pulled it out, waiting as Madara was shifting underneath him to take his own garments off. When the yukata was off his shoulders, he helped pull it off, tossing it onto the floor. He then pulled off the pants, exposing Madara to the air, earning a slight hiss.

“You're perfect.” He murmured, lips grazing down the chest beneath him, kissing every single scar along his way before making his way to a nipple, nibbling and sucking on it, earning a buck of hips in return.

With a quiet moan, Madara reached up, pulling the last garment on Tobirama off, leaving them both bare to each other. “You too.” He murmured, slipping the cap off of the vial. “May I?” He asked, oil now covering his fingers.

Flushing a bit, Tobirama nodded, “Please.” He rasped out, “I want you.” He answered. When he felt cold wet fingers press around his entrance, he sucked in a little breath, burying his face in Madara's neck. He could feel the fingers patiently press against him until one of them slid in, making him shudder a bit. With a finger pressing in and out of him, he began to suck on Madara's shoulder to distract himself, though that wasn't necessary as Madara's other hand wrapped around him, slick with oil as he began to stroke him back and forth. Bucking into the hand, Tobirama shuddered again. “Oh, Kami.” He breathed, eyes closing in pleasure.

“I want to drive you as wild as you drove me, Tobirama. Have you begging for it.” Madara promised, nuzzling against Tobirama until his lover turned to him, pressing their lips together. He kissed him passionately, filling his mouth, exploring every crevice. Slowly he slipped in another finger, scissoring him open slowly, taking his time. This time, Tobirama was the one whimpering into the kiss.

Pulling away to catch his breath, Tobirama couldn't stop the quiet moans escaping him, hands clutching the sheets beneath them, body lightly trembling. “I want you.” He grounded out, staring at Madara. “More, please.”

Tsking, Madara slowed his pace down, stroking even lighter over Tobirama's member, earning a frustrated groan, hips chasing his hands seeking the pleasure. “Ah-ah, I'm going to take my time opening you up, Tobi.” He purred, grinning up at his lover.

Frustrated, Tobirama dropped his head to Madara's shoulder, groaning at the sensations slowly taking a hold of him. “'Dara, _please_.” He stressed, rocking back onto those fingers. “I _need_ you.” He moaned, eyes squeezing tight.

“You do beg so prettily.” Madara groaned, sliding in a third finger, fingers stroking Tobirama's member faster to make sure he was getting more pleasure than pain. “Almost, Tobi, just a little longer.” He murmured, kissing the young man's neck, nuzzling into him.

A low whimper left Tobirama's lips, only to turn into a surprised moan when fingers pressed against his prostate, setting off his nerves in absolute pleasure, making his arms wobble. Dropping his chest down completely onto Madara's, he wrapped his arms around Madara's neck, completely burying his face into neck and hair. “Madara, I swear if you don't copulate with me, I'm going to remove your dick.” He threatened, moaning and shaking.

Unable to help it, Madara laughed, “Did you seriously just say copulate?” He questioned, fingers stilling for the moment.

Looking up to glare at him, Tobirama gave an unimpressed look, only for a smile to crack on his face, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. “Kami, yes, but I wasn't joking.” He replied, a small chuckle escaping again.

Madara snickered a bit, “We're going to work on what words should and shouldn't be used later.” He teased, before rubbing against the prostate again, making Tobirama jolt a bit above him. “Are you sure?” He asked, pressing a few gentle kisses to those sweet lips.

Nodding, Tobirama pressed back against him, “I'm one hundred percent positive.” He answered, huffing. “Please?” He asked.

Stealing another kiss, Madara removed his fingers, wiping them off on the bed before moving them to those pale hips on top of him, guiding Tobirama where he wanted him. Slowly, he pressed himself against him, taking his time to get inside.

With an impatient huff, Tobirama pressed back, groaning as he felt Madara go deep inside of him. Hearing Madara groan and feeling him buck up against himself made him whimper a little. “Oh, Kami.” He whispered, getting his bearings.

“Wasn't ready for that,” Madara mumbled, hands squeezing the flesh between their fingers. “Okay, I'm good whenever you are.” He breathed out, trying not to push up again until he had the say so.

Tobirama pushed down against him, “Come on, Madara.” He insisted, “I'm ready.”

Grunting, Madara began to snap his hips up into the tight warmth, quiet groans making their way out from the pleasure. He sat up a bit, pulling Tobirama close to him, arms wrapped tightly around him, “Kami, you feel fantastic.” He praised, kissing neck and shoulder, all that he could reach without letting go.

Holding on just as tight, Tobirama moaned, “Feels good.” He answered, fingers gripping those raven locks, tugging on them now and then, though mostly he just enjoyed carding his fingers through them. He tried to move his hips to the rhythm Madara was following but said man gripped his hips, holding him in place.

“Let me, koibito.” He murmured, biting his neck lightly. “Just for a bit.”

Giving a small nod, Tobirama let Madara take over, taking whatever it was he got. Leaning back just enough, he tugged on Madara's hair until their lips met again, tongue searching for the others, deepening the kiss as much as he could while keeping it somewhat languid, just like Madara was doing with their bodies.

Reaching a hand in between them both, Madara grasped Tobirama once more, stroking him. Honestly, he didn't think he'd last much longer after all the teasing and foreplay, and the fact that he hadn't actually had sex in a few years. Biting on Tobirama's lip, he licked it to soothe it, before resting his forehead against Tobirama's, staring into his eyes as his lover writhed against him, making him moan. “I'm not... going to last much longer.” He grunted, hand stroking even faster, “Want you to come for me, Tobirama.” He urged.

“Kami, Madara,” Tobirama gasped, hips stuttering, “Please, I'm close too.” He keened, back arching. After just a few more moments, he felt his release hit him, trembling and clinging onto Madara, mouth hanging open though no sound escaped, eyes squeezing shut.

“That's it,” Madara grunted, stroking him through his release. He couldn't take it anymore though, with Tobirama clenching down on him, “Fuck!” He cursed, spilling himself into Tobirama, pulling him into a passionate kiss, letting his body ride out its orgasm.

Slowly, they fell back against the bed, both of them panting as they laid there, still joined together as Madara held Tobirama in his arms. When the heavy breathing seceded, Madara brought a hand up to Tobirama's face, cupping him gently as he placed kisses all across. “I still have a gift for you.” He finally murmured, smiling up at his boyfriend.

Chuckling, Tobirama carefully slid off, laying beside Madara, head resting on his shoulder. “Can it wait a moment?” He asked, arm slung comfortably across his partner's chest. “That was amazing.”

Humming his agreement, Madara pressed a kiss to the top of Tobirama's head, “I suppose I'll just tell you what it is and hand it over to you later.” He replied. Turning to better face the younger man, he rested his hand on top of his hip, thumb stroking the flesh there. “I got you some pajamas. And a toothbrush.” He mumbled.

Confused, Tobirama raised a brow, “You... got me a toothbrush and pajamas? For our one year?” He asked, wanting clarification.

Madara groaned, “Well, yes, but. That's not.” Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm his rapidly beating heart. “There's also a new mug, for you, because I know you enjoy having a special cup for your tea because it makes you happy, and, well, I thought it would be best for them to stay here. At my house. And that maybe... we could make a home.” He muttered, looking away.

Eyes widening, Tobirama stared at his lover, body completely pausing as he processed what Madara was saying. “You want me to move in?” He inquired.

“Yes,” Madara answered, frowning. “I don't want to rush anything, but... yes. I have so much affection for you, and I think, since that's the case, you should just stay with me. Always.” He grumbled.

Smirking, Tobirama leaned in, kissing the older man into quietness. Smiling, he nodded, “Of course. And Madara?”

“What?” Madara asked, finally looking back, overjoyed at the acceptance.

Brushing a strand of hair out of his face, Tobirama gave him another smile, “I love you, too.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been planning to write this for like ever, but I've had so many 12 hour shifts lately and I've been exhausted. I plan to update when time allows, so hopefully at least once a week, but it might be like once every two weeks if I keep up these long hours at work! Thank you for reading, leave a comment! :)


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